The explosion, caused by a natural gas leak, leveled Mr. Gyros, Neptune Coffee, and a Quik Stop convenience store at 1:45 a.m.
The explosion, caused by a natural gas leak, leveled Mr. Gyros, Neptune Coffee, and a Quik Stop convenience store at 1:45 a.m. Ana Sofia Knauf

Early this morning, an explosion rocked the heart of the Greenwood neighborhood of Seattle. The blast, apparently caused by a natural gas leak, destroyed three businesses—Mr. Gyros, Neptune Coffee, and a Quik Stop convenience store. It also heavily damaged neighboring G&O Cyclery and shattered other nearby businesses' windows.

From her apartment above The Lodge on Greenwood Ave. and 85th St., Anna Belkin said she thought the explosion had been an earthquake when it went off at 1:45 a.m. The disaster felt eerily familiar to Belkin, who lived in the building during the Greenwood arson attacks of 2009.

Unlike Belkin, who has been in the neighborhood for a half-decade, I moved to Greenwood less than a year ago. And although I haven't lived there long, I can't deny that the explosion's impact on my new neighborhood shook me.

Neptune Coffee was a favorite of mine. I initially wrote it off as another pretentious Seattle coffee bar, but it quickly grew on me because of its warm atmosphere and baristas who were patient enough not to get annoyed when I floundered making my coffee order. As a once-freelance writer, I'd often stake out a Neptune table (my "office") and fight deadlines while armed with a latte.

Now, there's just a pile of debris where my favorite work spot used to be.

But the Greenwood community is already rallying to support the three businesses leveled in the explosion. Jason Malcom, a member of local coffee nonprofit NW Space Agency and Baristas Guild of Washington State, set up a GoFundMe page to raise money to support the employees of Neptune Coffee, Mr. Gyros, and Quik Stop. The campaign has raised more than $20,000.

Brodric Somers, a bartender at the Cozy Nut Tavern, went to work shortly after the explosion to help clean up debris.
Brodric Somers, a bartender at the Cozy Nut Tavern, went to work shortly after the explosion to help clean up debris. Ana Sofia Knauf

Brodric Somers, a bartender at the Cozy Nut Tavern, said he had been at his work since 2 a.m. helping to clear shattered glass and debris from the sidewalks around the corner from the blast site. According to Somers, much of the plywood used to board up damaged storefronts along 85th St. was donated by Deacon Construction workers who are working on an apartment complex down the street.

"It's one of those moments when our tiny community banded together to repair our block," Somers said.

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