An explosion at a Maryland home on Sunday, suspected to be a gas leak, killed at least one person and injured two others, fire officials said.
Neighbors said they felt and heard the early-morning explosion, which damaged several nearby homes in the town of Bel Air, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) northeast of Baltimore.
Firefighters were called to the scene about 6:40 a.m. for reports of a gas leak and the smell of gas outside the home, said Oliver Alkire, master deputy with the state fire marshal’s office. As firefighters arrived on scene, they began receiving calls that the home had exploded, Alkire said. First responders pronounced one victim dead at the scene.
A home next to the explosion was badly damaged, and a woman living in that home was treated at the scene, Alkire said. At least one electrical worker at the scene was also injured. Two electrical workers were in the area to work on a reported power problem, but officials did not immediately say if it was related to the explosion.
Investigators are working to determine how many homes were damaged and the extent of the explosion. Firefighters continue to search through the rubble for other possible victims of the blast. Officials said there is no threat to the public.
“I’ve been in this job for about 18 years, and this is one of the biggest explosions I’ve ever seen,” Alkire said, adding that investigators would document damage to nearby homes.
A photo posted by county officials showed multiple fire crews surrounding the wreckage of the home, while another damaged home was in the background. Chunks of burned wood were piled on the property, and insulation and broken wood were scattered across the street. Small pieces of debris were hanging from nearby trees. Later in the morning, emergency workers were seen using heavy equipment to search through the rubble.
Alkire said the house where the explosion occurred was for sale, but it was unclear if it was still inhabited.
More than 60 first responders from various agencies arrived at the scene. The state fire marshal, sheriff and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms were assisting in the investigation, as is standard procedure.
Lisa Chavalitko, who lives in a nearby condominium, said the explosion woke her and her three children and also knocked a pet bird to the ground.
He said the roof structure of four condominium buildings buckled and aluminum siding came off the roofs and down to the ground. He attended a press conference at a nearby library to ask officials if it was safe to remain in the building.
He said he felt the force of the explosion.
“The whole building shook like a massive earthquake,” he said in an interview.
This frightened his 8-year-old daughter, Maika.
“I thought a bomb had gone off,” he said.
The blast woke Greg Clifford, who was fast asleep in his townhouse about a block away. At first, he thought a tree had fallen on his deck or that lightning had struck him for the loud noise.
“It shook the whole thing. It was pretty loud,” Clifford said.
He also mentioned some damage to his house.
“My bedroom window got pulled right off the framing of the house,” Clifford said. “I mean, I can see right out onto my deck. My basement door — the glass — it didn’t break, but it got blown out, and my frame was completely ripped off.”