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At least 1 person found dead in Maryland house explosion: Authorities
By Bill Hutchinson,
4 hours ago
At least one person was found dead and two others were injured when an explosion Sunday morning leveled a home and damaged multiple neighboring residences in a suburban Baltimore neighborhood, authorities said.
The blast was reported around 6:42 a.m. on Arthur Woods Drive in the Harford County city of Bel Air, about 32 miles north of Baltimore, according to officials.
A photo posted on X by Harford County Fire and Emergency Medical Services showed firefighters battling a small fire and searching the remains of the home, which was reduced to splintered pieces of wood, insulation and other debris.
Hartford County, Maryland, Fire and EMS - PHOTO: One person was killed on Aug. 11, 2024, when an explosion destroyed a home in Bel Air, Maryland, according to authorities. The cause of the blast is under investigation.
"I've been on the job for 18 years and this was one of the largest explosions I've seen," Master Deputy State Fire Marshal Oliver Alkire said during a news conference Sunday.
Alkire said firefighters from the Harford County Fire Department were responding to a report of a gas leak in the area when the explosion occurred.
Jeffrey Sexton, a spokesperson for the Harford County Fire and EMS Association, confirmed that one person was found dead in a large debris field caused by the explosion. The name of the deceased person was not immediately released.
Sexton said search-and-rescue crews are still combing the rubble as of mid-morning Sunday.
Alkire said workers from the Baltimore Gas and Electric company had also responded to the area before the explosion to investigate an electrical issue. Alkire said two BG&E workers were injured by the blast, but did not release their conditions.
Residents in the neighborhood reported hearing the loud explosion and feeling their houses shake, authorities said.
The cause of the explosion is under investigation by the Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office, the Harford County Sheriff's Department and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
ABC News' Davone Morales contributed to this report.
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