Three people were killed Wednesday when a house exploded in the southern Indiana city of Evansville. The cause of the explosion has not been determined, but the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was investigating.
Evansville Fire Department Chief Mike Connelly said a total of 39 houses were damaged by the explosion at around 1 p.m, adding that the department has not confirmed how many of the houses were occupied when the explosion happened because “some were too unstable to enter. Debris is strewn over a 100-foot (30-meter) radius” including “typical construction materials such as wooden boards, window glass and insulation.”
Fire Chief Connelly said that CenterPoint Energy, the local gas utility, was last called to the home in January 2018. CenterPoint issued a statement saying: “CenterPoint Energy is working closely with the Evansville Fire Department, State Fire Marshal and other agencies as the investigation of this incident continues.” It was the second house explosion in the area in just over five years. A house explosion on June 27, 2017, killed two people and injured three others.
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