2 Dead, 12 Families Displaced Maryland A house exploded on Sunday with reports of a possible explosion due to gas leaks as explained by the fire official.
Residents in the small town of Bel Air about 30 miles (50 kilometers) northeast of Baltimore, said they felt and heard early morning explosions that destroyed many homes around.
Deputy Chief Oliver Alkire at the state Fire Marshal’s office said firefighters responded to reports of a gas leak and smelled gas outside at approximately 6:40 A.M.
Alkire said when they were approaching to fight the fire, they received calls for a house explosion. First responders pronounced one person dead at the scene and later found another body in the rubble.
According to Alkire, there was severe damage from an explosion in a neighboring house where one woman was injured and treated on location. Two utility crews were dealing with reported power problems in the area, but authorities have not immediately indicated whether it is linked to this incident or not.
The first victim initially found was then identified as being an employee working for BGE which is a utility company according statement released by Harford County Fire and EMS.
In late hours on Sunday, state fire marshals declared another corpse had been retrieved from under remains of a house that was ground zero. The person believed to be its71-year-old home owner has not been named yet according to fire officials’ press release.
Investigations are still ongoing to determine how many houses were affected and what range did this impact extend up-to. According Harford County fire units , at least twelve families had their houses damaged hence had no option but move temporarily. Authorities say there is no on-going public threat.
“I’ve been doing this for almost 18 years and this is one of the biggest explosions I’ve ever seen,” Alkire added.
A photograph distributed by county authorities showed numerous firefighters surrounding tons of wreckage which may be seen adjoining the other ruined home. Burnt logs crammed inwards whilst outwards, the road was littered with scrap wood and insulation material. Hanging close to trees were tiny fragments. Later, as emergency crews were using heavy equipment to go through the rubble, they were seen.
Over 60 first responders from various agencies answered the call. The state fire marshal along with sheriff has been followed by agents of federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms who are now following their own standard practices in order to aid investigations.
The explosion awakened her and her three children & knocked a pet bird off its perch, said Lisa Czawlytko, who lives in a nearby apartment.
She said that the roofs of four apartment buildings collapsed and aluminum sidings came crashing down to earth. They went to a news conference held at a nearby library asking whether it was safe for her family to be inside their building.
She said she felt the force of the explosion
“It felt like a huge earthquake,” she told an interviewer.
When her mother asked Mika how she felt when it happened seeing as she is only eight years old; she replied that it was so horrible.
“I thought a bomb dropped,” Mika said.
Greg Clifford was awakened from his sound sleep in his townhome about one block away by the explosion. He initially thought that it might have been due to either thunderstorm lightning strike or wind causing his deck’s tree fall into itself.
“The whole damn thing came down on us hard,” Clifford exclaimed. “Too much noise.”
He also noticed some damage to his home
“My bedroom is now a separate entity from the house”, quipped Clifford. “If I stand here, I can see the deck clearly.” My basement door had broken glass but not shattered and wind blew in breaking my door frame, she cracked.
