LAFAYETTE — After four hours, Lafayette Police say residents can return home 27th and 28th Streets are back open.
Lafayette Police evacuated the area between Ruger Street and O'Ferrall Street around 7 p.m. because authorities had a "concern for things located" inside a home that had a basement explosion Friday afternoon.
The evacuation was lifted just after 11 p.m., according to a message from police.
A man was critically injured in the house explosion and the Lafayette Fire Department says he was believed to have been making homemade fireworks at the time in the 100 block of South 28th Street.
Firefighters responded around 2:30 p.m. and pulled the man from the basement. A shattered window was visible in the home.
He was taken to a local hospital but then flown to Indianapolis for treatment of his injuries.
Brian Alkire, assistant chief of fire prevention, says firefighters saw "a haze and smoke" when they arrived but no fire. No one else was home at the time.
The FBI tells WRTV it is not involved in the investigation.
The Tippecanoe County Bomb Squad also responded to make sure the scene was safe. A Department of Homeland Security vehicle could be seen in the area Friday night.
