At least three people are dead after a house exploded, damaging around 40 other homes in Evansville, Indiana, local authorities reported Wednesday.
Local residents fled in fear after the blast rocked the Evansville neighborhood just before 1 p.m. local time, according to the Evansville Courier & Press. Photos on social media show shrapnel, wooden boards, and building debris littering North Weinbach Avenue hours after the massive explosion unfolded.
The blast had an astonishing radius of about 100 feet, according to Evansville Fire Department Chief Mike Connelly. While it’s still unclear what caused the incident, Connelly told local media there is no need to evacuate the rest of the neighborhood at present.
However, the fire chief did indicate some houses are “too unstable to enter.” At least 11 of the 39 homes damaged in the explosion are now "uninhabitable.”
Connelly said the search for survivors is ongoing as there could still be “other victims” at this time.
As many as 1,000 nearby homes lost power in the aftermath of the blast, and over a hundred reportedly remained without power several hours later.
CenterPoint Energy, the electric and gas utility responsible for the region, wrote in a statement that “the investigation of this incident continues.”