ATLANTA — A mother was able to get her five kids to safety after a gas explosion at a nearby apartment building in downtown Atlanta on Tuesday night.

Deandrea Moore told 11Alive that she had been smelling a "strong gas odor" since around 11 a.m. that morning and had called the Atlanta Police Department and the Atlanta Fire Department to report it.

Moore said police and fire arrived to check the area, but told her it was safe around 11:30 a.m. An employee of a nearby business told 11Alive that they also reported a gas smell between 10:30 a.m. and 11 a.m.

At 5 p.m., a nearby business owner said they called 911 and were told the fire department had already determined the area was safe.

Later that night, the gas explosion happened at a nearby building that is being renovated.

"We were a

See Full Page