At least five people were killed, including four children, and two others were taken to area hospitals when a house exploded in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, Thursday evening, CBS Philadelphia reports. Crews are still spraying the home with water as neighbors try to pick up the pieces, the station reported Friday.
The victims were identified as Francine White, 67; Alana Wood, 13; Jeremiah White, 12; Nehemiah White, 10; and Tristan White, 8. Eugene White, 44, and Kristina Matuzsan, 32, were injured and remain in critical condition at nearby hospitals, police said in a press release Friday afternoon.
Everyone who was in the home has been accounted for, police said.
CBS Philly
Three homes were destroyed in the explosion, according to CBS Philly. The blast sent debris, including dry wall, into neighboring yards, CBS Philly’s Kerri Corrado reports.
A man who lives nearby heard a loud bang and felt the impact.
“I was in my room chilling,” Kaleef Blackwood told CBS Philly. “I was upstairs and the next thing you know I just heard a big boom like a bomb went off or something. It just shook the whole house.”
The town’s schools will be closed Friday.
Montgomery County officials believe a gas explosion started the fire, CBS Philly reports. Authorities are still at the scene and investigating the incident.
