A home explosion ripped through a small town southeast of Cincinnati, Ohio, Tuesday morning, killing two people and injuring another.
Local firefighters in Bethel, Ohio responded to a house fire involving possible entrapment at 8:44 a.m. While they were en route, crews heard reports of an explosion, Bethel-Tate Fire Chief Christopher Cooper said. to be confirmed.
By the time they arrived, debris was scattered across the neighborhood and a massive fire was raging.
Fire officials said a man and a woman died. Their relationship is still unknown.
The third person, a heating repairman, was taken to UC Medical Center with burn injuries. He was well enough after the fire to talk to neighbors who remained outside after the explosion tore through their neighborhood.
“He is bent over with his hands on his knees, trying to breathe, his face was dirty. I moved closer and asked ‘Are you okay?’ And all his hair got burnt. And me and another neighbor said you need to go get an ambulance,” said neighbor Stephanie Young. wlwt,
When the house exploded, debris spread in every direction, leaving only the burning remains of the house.
The cause of the explosion is still not known and the Ohio State Fire Marshal’s Office has begun an investigation.
It took 45 minutes to bring the fire under control with mutual aid from four other responding departments.
Now, emergency workers are beginning to examine debris scattered around the neighborhood for any clues about what caused the explosion, Cooper said.
Other houses suffered only minor damage, but almost all felt the shock of the explosion.
“It literally woke me up and I grabbed my daughter and it was like a tree came into our house,” neighbor Jessalyn Harris told WLWT.
“We came out and there was smoke and fire behind. You could see big brown smoke. it was crazy.”
Another neighbor, Keith Lampkin, was at work when the incident occurred.
“Wake up, make coffee and next thing you know, come home and your neighbors are gone,” Lampkin told WLWT.
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