  The observation of the final stages of the evaporation of a light black hole,
which Hawking referred to as ``black hole explosion", would offer critical
insights on quantum gravity and high-energy physics phenomena. Here, we
explore, review, and revisit the observational features and rates expected for
nearby, light, evaporating black holes, and we assess and compare the expected
sensitivity of a broad range of observatories. We then focus on the search for
candidate black hole explosions in archival data from the Fermi Large Area
Telescope and Gamma-ray Burst Monitor, and outline possible future
observational campaigns
