Layton • An explosion inside a house in Layton sent two people to the hospital with serious injuries Saturday afternoon.

The explosion happened at a house in the area of 850 N. 2175 West.

There were two people inside the house at the time — one male and one female. They were both airlifted to the University of Utah Hospital to be treated for burns and traumatic blast injuries, according to Layton Fire Battalion Chief Brad Wilkes.

“It blew the entire side of the house off,” Wilkes said, adding that he has never seen something like this where the victims survived.

Wilkes said the blast happened while the victims were in the basement working on a flooring project of some sort. The exact cause is under investigation.

First responders are not being allowed to enter the home for their own health and safety. Wilkes said the home will ultimately need to be torn down.

Earlier the same day, an explosion inside a laboratory at the University of Utah forced the building to be evacuated. In that case, however, nobody was injured. The explosion was small and fully contained by a “fume hood.”

This article is published through the Utah News Collaborative, a partnership of news organizations in Utah that aim to inform readers across the state.