A Brooklyn Park duplex "was all but destroyed" on Wednesday by a natural gas explosion that injured no one but could be felt several blocks away, the city's fire chief said.

The blast, at about 2 p.m. in the vacant half of a duplex at 7505 Kentucky Av. N., caused enough damage to render the other half uninhabitable, too, said Chief Ken Prillaman. No one was home in the occupied half of the duplex.

Prillaman said the explosion blew out the west and north walls of the vacant half of the building.

The family living in the other half of the building should be able to salvage its belongings, Prillaman said. New tenants had planned to move into the vacant unit Wednesday, he added.

ANTHONY LONETREE