Indiana house explosion leaves one dead, two injured

JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. — An explosion leveled a home in southern Indiana early Sunday, killing one person, injuring two others and leaving several nearby homes uninhabitable, authorities said.

Hours after the explosion shattered windows across a Jeffersonville neighborhood and sent debris flying onto roofs, lawns and cars, officials had not said what they believe caused the explosion.

Indiana State Police, Jeffersonville police and firefighters were at the scene, along with crews from Vectren, a natural gas provider.

Jeffersonville police Lt. Isaac Parker told The Courier-journal that the house exploded just before 5 a.m. Sunday in the Ohio River city just north of Louisville, Kentucky. He said one person was killed and two others were hospitalized with serious injuries.

Officials haven’t said if the victims were inside the house that exploded. Aerial footage showed the home’s foundation and what appears to be its basement, covered with debris.

The images were reminiscent of photos following a house explosion in an Indianapolis neighborhood in December 2012 that killed two people and damaged or destroyed more than 80 homes. Authorities concluded that Mark Leonard had tampered with a gas line to blow up his girlfriend’s home so they could claim insurance money.

Leonard died in prison last year. Sgt. Jason Ames with the Jeffersonville Fire Department said the explosion Sunday had affected about 20 homes in the Capitol Hills neighborhood. He said it was felt up to 5 miles away and that the house where it occurred suffered “catastrophic” damage.

Fire Chief Eric Hedrick said the house where the blast occurred was largely destroyed and five to six nearby homes were left uninhabitable.