Indiana House Explodes, Killing 3 and Damaging Dozens of Homes

A total of 39 houses were damaged in Evansville tragedy
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Aug 10, 2022 7:13 PM CDT
Indiana House Explodes, Killing 3 and Damaging Dozens of Homes
Evansville Fire Department personnel examine the scene after a house explosion at 1010 N. Weinbach Avenue in Evansville, Ind., Wednesday afternoon, Aug. 10, 2022.   (Denny Simmons/Evansville Courier & Press via AP)

Three people were killed Wednesday when a house exploded in the southern Indiana city of Evansville, authorities said. Dave Anson, chief deputy coroner for Vanderburgh County, told the Associated Press that the identities of the people who died would not be released until the next of kin has been notified. Evansville Police Department spokeswoman Sgt. Anna Gray said at least one other injury was reported and that victim was taken to a local hospital for treatment.

Evansville Fire Department Chief Mike Connelly said a total of 39 houses were damaged by the explosion at around 1pm. He said the department has not confirmed how many of the houses were occupied when the explosion happened because “some were too unstable to enter.” The cause of the explosion has not been determined, but the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was investigating.

“Debris is strewn over a 100-foot radius," including “typical construction materials” such as wooden boards, window glass and insulation, Connelly said. Aerial video posted on social media shows damage in a residential neighborhood with police and fire vehicles on the scene in Evansville, on the Kentucky border. 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.” 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.

(More Indiana stories.)

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