Man in critical condition after explosion at Farmington apartment

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FARMINGTON — A man is in critical condition after an explosion damaged an apartment on Thursday, and officials say a criminal investigation might be forthcoming.

Fire crews responded about 6 p.m. to an explosion at the Avanti Apartments near 736 W. State Street, Farmington City Police Chief Wayne Hansen said.

A garage at the apartments had been impacted by some sort of explosion, he said. It appeared that something was “being done” in the garage that caused the explosion, Hansen said.

A man who was in the garage was airlifted to the University of Utah Burn Center in critical condition, Hansen added. He did not know the extent of the man’s burns.

The apartment building was evacuated, according to Hansen. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives had responded to the scene, he added.

Authorities are considering a criminal investigation moving forward, Hansen said, but he did not know if it appeared to be an accident or a criminal situation.

“I would say that was a pretty serious amount of explosive … whatever it was that exploded,” Hansen said. “Very lucky and very grateful that we didn’t have any other injuries.”