Evansville house explosion kills 3 people

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A house explosion reverberated across a neighborhood Wednesday in Evansville, Indiana, and the coroner said three people were killed, according to media reports.

The explosion that occurred at about 1 p.m. Wednesday also damaged several surrounding homes, Fire Chief Mike Connelly said.

"We’ve made searches of the houses, and most of them are unoccupied," Connelly said.

Incredible video from ABK of the explosion today in Evansville. Praying that no one was killed. 2 injuries reported as of now. Thanks to the first responders on scene now!@EvansvillePD @EvansvilleFD @EVVEMAWATCHDESK @CenterPoint @EvansvilleINGov pic.twitter.com/X8JZaZjlUB
— Steve Schaefer (@sschaefer01) August 10, 2022

The explosion had a 100-foot blast radius, Connelly said. Other homes nearby were also damaged. Connelly could not say what caused the explosion, but earlier reports from WEVV said officials were looking at a possible gas leak.

Aerial video posted on social media shows damage strewn in a residential neighborhood with numerous police and fire vehicles on the scene. The surrounding area remained shut down as of 5:45 p.m.

Jacki Baumgart, an office manager at Award World Trophies about two and a half blocks from the site of the explosion, said she and other employees in their building panicked when they heard the blast.

"It was loud. There was huge smoke," Baumgart said. "We thought a tree fell on the building or a car ran into the place. Debris from the ceiling came down.

"Everybody here immediately ran out of the building. We thought the building was going to come down."