At least three people were killed after a house exploded in Evansville, Indiana, on Wednesday morning, according to authorities. A harrowing video captured from a distance shows the scale of devastation caused by the explosion. The explosion completely leveled the house where the explosion occurred, split another in half and heavily damaged dozens of others.
Authorities reported that dozens of additional structures were destroyed by the explosion and that the residential street was covered in rubble. The identities of the three victims have not yet been revealed. Police said that several of those houses damaged in the explosion are "uninhabitable". An investigation has been launched into the incident.
Terrifying Scene
According to authorities, the explosion was reported near Evansville's 1000 block of North Weinbach Avenue at 1 p.m. Evansville Fire Department Chief Mike Connelly said that the explosion had a 100-foot blast radius and damaged 39 houses.
At least 11 of the 39 homes damaged are "uninhabitable," Connelly told the Evansville Courier & Press. At least one other injury was reported, according to Evansville Police Department spokeswoman Sgt. Anna Gray, and the victim was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
The explosion's cause is still not known, but the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives is looking into it. There was a phone message left at the ATF's Evansville field office asking for comment.
Police also said that the identities of the three people who died would not be released until the next of kin has been notified.
"Debris is strewn over a 100-foot (30-meter) radius," including "typical construction materials" such as wooden boards, window glass and insulation, Connelly said.
Aerial video footage from Evansville, Kentucky's border city, shows devastation to a residential neighborhood with emergency vehicles on the scene.
Another video taken from a distance captures the moment the house is blown to pieces following the explosion.
Devastating Explosion
Drew Slader, a resident who stays close to the place where the house exploded, claimed to have been seated on his couch when the blast's force propelled him several feet. Video taken inside his damaged home, which he posted online, showed kitchen cabinets hanging from the wall and smashed window panes.
Authorities are still searching the area, but Connelly cautioned that there may be further victims. CenterPoint Energy, the local gas utility, was last called to the home in January 2018, Connelly said. CenterPoint issued a statement saying it "worked with first responders to secure the area."
Photos shared by the mayor, Lloyd Winnecke, show the neighborhood covered in home rubble after the explosion, with emergency personnel going through it.
About two and a half blocks from the explosion site, Award World Trophies office manager Jacki Baumgart claimed she and other employees in their building panicked when they heard the loud blow and saw smoke.
"We thought a tree fell on the building or a car ran into the place," Baumgart said. "Debris from the ceiling came down. Everybody here immediately ran out of the building. We thought the building was going to come down."
All fires, according to the police, have been put out. As approximately 2:53 p.m., a local electricity provider reported 162 power disruptions in the vicinity of the explosion. Earlier, the amount had reached 1,000.
Winnecke claimed on Twitter that the local Red Cross chapter was supplying food and water and would be helping anyone "with sheltering needs" after the explosion.
The explosion on Wednesday was the second house explosion in the area in little more than five years. On June 27, 2017, a house explosion left two people dead and three more hurt. At that time, a house at 1717 Hercules Avenue exploded, shaking the area while five people were inside.
Two people, Sharon Mand and Kathleen Woolems died from smoke inhalation, while three made it out, according to TriState site.
