On Saturday, This Was a House

Indiana blast kills 1, leaves 2 injured
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted May 19, 2019 5:45 PM CDT
Fatal House Explosion Rocks Neighborhood
This aerial photo shows the scene of a deadly home explosion in Jeffersonville, Ind., on Sunday, May 19, 2019.   (Michael Clevegner/Courier Journal via AP)

An explosion leveled a home in southern Indiana early Sunday, killing one person, injuring two others, and leaving several nearby homes uninhabitable, authorities say. Hours after the explosion shattered windows across a Jeffersonville neighborhood and sent debris flying onto roofs, lawns, and cars, officials hadn't said what they believe caused the explosion, the AP reports. 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 says the house exploded just before 5am Sunday in the Ohio River city just north of Louisville, Kentucky. He says 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 says the explosion Sunday had affected about 20 homes in the Capitol Hills neighborhood. He says it was felt up to 5 miles away and that the house where it occurred suffered "catastrophic" damage.

(More explosion stories.)

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