2 Dead, 3 Injured After Indiana House Explosion
EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) — Firefighters found two bodies in the basement of a southwest Indiana house after it was destroyed by an explosion and fire Tuesday that also injured three people.
Searchers located the first body amid the rubble about four hours after the explosion was reported around 8:45 a.m. in Evansville. The other body was found about 20 minutes later, Evansville Fire Department Battalion Chief Charles Hertzberger said.
The cause of the blast wasn’t immediately known, and utility crews shut off natural gas to the area. Neighboring houses weren’t badly damaged, although at least one had melted vinyl siding.
“We continue to investigate,” Hertzberger said. “We don’t know what has happened. We don’t know why.”
Hertzberger said a child and two adults were taken to area hospitals, with the adults sent to burn units. The victims’ names and details about the survivors’ conditions haven’t been released.
Utility crews were working with fire investigators to determine whether any gas leaks were inside the home but found no leaks in the neighborhood, said Natalie Hedde, a spokeswoman for natural gas utility Vectren Corp.
Nearby residents said they could feel the ground and their homes shake following the explosion.
“We were drinking coffee on our back patio,” resident Lacey Greenwell said. “You felt it over your whole body — through your bones.”
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