Rome, explosion at petrol station: damages and residents fleeing, injured among traffic wardens and police

Two explosions in rapid sequence, between 8:18 and 8:21, two very loud bangs and then thick black smoke visible from kilometres away.

This is what happened on Friday morning in Rome , in Via dei Gordiani in the Prenestino district , where a large fire broke out in a petrol and LPG distributor .

Firefighters, law enforcement officers and civil protection volunteers are on site. At least 21 people were injured, including police officers, firefighters and civilians , but no one is in danger of life.

The causes that triggered the fire and then the explosion are still unclear: according to initial reports, there was first a blaze, so much so that the police and firefighters had already rushed to the scene and were then hit by two consecutive explosions, the second one stronger.

❌ #Rome , #explosion in a fuel distributor in via dei Gordiani, Casilino area: one of the #firefighters who intervened was involved. Teams working to put out the flames that are affecting the judicial warehouse behind the gas station.… pic.twitter.com/P0zLAzFg3T

— Firefighters (@vigilidelfuoco) July 4, 2025

The causes, as mentioned, are not yet clear: Ansa writes that it could have been the detachment of a pump from the tank that supplied the plant.

“Pieces of glass and iron were flying,” some residents testified, terrified by the explosion that shook buildings, with residents fleeing. “I woke up with a start, I heard a very loud explosion, it sounded like a bomb ,” a witness who lives in the Prenestino area told Adnkronos. “All the windows shook, I thought it was an earthquake ,” another witness who lives in Centocelle reported.

Significant damage was reported in the area : the Teano metro stop was closed, and law enforcement evacuated a nearby sports center.

Massive explosion and fire at a petrol station in Rome 👉 https://t.co/LvmLXaBViO pic.twitter.com/wSDm5bLkiK

— Tg La7 (@TgLa7) July 4, 2025

The mayor of Rome Roberto Gualtieri , who arrived at the site of the explosion this morning, was informed of the matter, but Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is also following the events by keeping in contact with the mayor of the capital and with the undersecretary to the presidency of the Council Alfredo Mantovano .