House explosion in Maryland kills 2 and damages nearby homes

BEL AIR, Md. (AP) — Two people were killed and 12 families displaced after a Maryland house exploded Sunday amid reports of a possible gas leak, fire officials said.

Neighbors described feeling and hearing the early morning blast that damaged a number of surrounding houses in Bel Air, a town about 30 miles northeast of Baltimore.

Firefighters were called to the area around 6:40 a.m. for a report of a gas leak and an outdoor odor of gas, said Oliver Alkire, a master deputy with the State Fire Marshal’s Office. Alkire said that as firefighters were approaching, they began receiving calls that the house had exploded. First responders pronounced one person dead at the scene.

Alkire said that a home next door to the explosion was heavily damaged, and a woman in that house was treated for injuries on the scene. At least one utility worker on the scene was also injured. Two utility workers were in the area to work on a reported electrical issue, but authorities didn’t immediately say if that was related to the explosion.

Investigators are working to establish how many houses were damaged and how far the blast radius was. Firefighters were continuing to search the debris for other possible victims of the blast. Authorities said there was no ongoing threat to the public.

“I’ve been on the job for nearly 18 years, and this is one of the largest explosions I’ve seen,” Alkire said, noting that investigators will document damage to nearby homes.

A photo posted by county officials showed several firefighters around the rubble of the home with another damaged home in the background. Charred pieces of wood were heaped on the property, and insulation and splintered wood spilled out into the street. Small pieces of debris hung from nearby trees. Later in the morning, emergency workers were seen using heavy equipment to search through the rubble.

Alkire said the house that blew up was for sale, but it wasn’t clear if it was still occupied.

More than 60 first responders came to the scene from multiple agencies. The state fire marshal, sheriff and federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms were assisting with the probe, as is standard procedure.

Lisa Czawlytko, who lives in a nearby condominium, said the explosion woke her and her three children and knocked a pet bird to the ground.

She said the roof structure on four condominium buildings buckled and sent aluminum siding from the roof down to the ground. She attended a news conference at a nearby library to ask officials if it was safe to be in the building.

She said she felt the force of the explosion.“The whole building shook like a major earthquake,” she said in an interview.

Her 8-year-old daughter described it as scary when her mother asked her how she felt when it happened.

“I thought a bomb dropped,” Myca said.