Maryland house leveled after apparent blast, at least 1 person found dead

At least one person has died after an apparent explosion leveled a house in a town northeast of Baltimore , fire officials said Sunday.

Andrew Doyle, a public information officer for Harford County Fire and EMS, confirmed the death in an email.

Firefighters were continuing to search the debris for other possible victims of the blast in Bel Air northeast of Baltimore.

Firefighters said there is no ongoing threat to the public.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

BEL AIR, Md. (AP) — Firefighters in Maryland were searching for possible victims on Sunday after a house apparently exploded in a town northeast of Baltimore.

The Harford County Fire & EMS posted on Facebook that there was no ongoing threat to the public from the apparent blast that leveled a home in Bel Air, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) northeast of Baltimore.

A photo posted by county officials showed a number of firefighters around the rubble of one home with another damaged home in the background. Charred pieces of wood were heaped on the property, and insulation and splintered wood spilled out into the street.

It was not immediately clear if there were injuries. Emergency Services personnel were using special equipment to search the rubble.