Four people killed in house explosion in Ohio

Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News on Oct 6, 2024

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Four people were killed when a house exploded Saturday morning in eastern Ohio, authorities said.

The blast in Ellsworth Township occurred around 7:15 a.m., Youngstown CBS affiliate WKBN reported. Neighbors heard it for miles around.

“We’re two and a half miles away… and I could feel it like it was right here on the property,” resident Claudia Meredith told WKBN. “I knew right away it wasn’t a gun. It was too loud, and it sounded just like a bomb.”

Emergency calls came in from all around Ellsworth, which is about halfway between Cleveland and Pittsburgh, Pa., according to authorities.

In addition to the complete devastation of the 1,700-square-foot home that blew up, neighboring homes were knocked off their foundations and windows were blown out, WKBN reported.

Authorities did not publicly comment on the cause of the explosion, though details of the blast suggested a gas leak was likely to blame. The four victims were not identified.

“The initial call was for a reported structure fire. That call was then upgraded to explosion. Initial crews on scene reported that the house was completely gone,” Ellsworth Assistant Fire Chief Jillian Smith told WKBN. “It was a big scene we had. It was a lot of confusion.”

Debris extended half a mile from the central explosion, authorities said. The Ohio Fire Marshal is investigating the blast.