Two dead, seven injured after gas explosion levels Baltimore homes
Baltimore, Aug 11: Two people are now confirmed dead following a natural gas explosion that destroyed three row houses in Baltimore and sent seven people to the hospital, authorities said on Tuesday.
Baltimore Fire Department spokeswoman Blair Adams said at a 9 am news conference that a man was pulled from the debris shortly before 1 am A woman had been pronounced dead at the scene shortly after Monday morning’s explosion. Seven others were hospitalized, five in critical condition, Adams said. The conditions of the other two were still being determined, she said.
More than 200 people in the neighborhood were affected by the blast, and about 30 have utilised temporary shelter since the explosion, she said.
The natural gas explosion on Monday morning leveled three row houses and ripped open a fourth, trapping people in the debris and scattering shards of glass and other rubble over the northwest Baltimore neighborhood of Reisterstown Station. Dozens of firefighters converged on the scene to free the injured.
“It’s a disaster. It’s a mess. It’s unbelievable,” said Diane Glover, who lives across the street. Her windows where shattered and her front door was blown open. “I’m still shaken up,” she said hours later.
The exact cause remains unknown, and the Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. appealed for patience as they investigate. No gas odors were reported before the explosion, and BGE did not receive any recent gas odor calls from the block of homes that were damaged, the utility said in a statement late Monday.
BGE also said it last inspected the area’s gas mains and services in June and July of 2019 and no leaks were found. — AP