Indiana Home Explosion Caught On Video; 3 Killed, 39 Neighboring Properties Damaged; Authorities Investigating Cause

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A house explosion was captured on surveillance video in southern Indiana Wednesday. Image credit: WRTV Indianapolis, Danny Koester, YouTube, Mayor Lloyd Winnecke, Facebook.
A house explosion was captured on surveillance video in southern Indiana Wednesday. Image credit: WRTV Indianapolis, Danny Koester, YouTube, Mayor Lloyd Winnecke, Facebook.

EVANSVILLE, IN –Surveillance video supplied from a nearby building captured the explosion of an Evansville, Indiana home on Wednesday in a shocking incident that left three dead in its wake and damaged dozens of neighboring properties.

The explosion took place at approximately 1 p.m. and left 39 houses in its vicinity damaged, 11 of which have been currently deemed “uninhabitable,” said Evansville Fire Department Chief Mike Connelly, who noted that the unexpected eruption had a blast radius of over 100 feet and rained debris – mainly consisting of wooden boards, window glass and insulation – over many of the homes in its vicinity.

The home from which the blast originated has been completely destroyed, officials said.

The identities of the three victims of the explosion are currently not being released pending notification of their next of kin according to David Anson, chief deputy coroner for Vanderburgh County. In addition, the Evansville Police Department confirmed there was at least one injury resulting from the blast, with the victim currently receiving treatment at a local area hospital.

Authorities are uncertain as to the cause of the explosion, but several agencies are investigating the incident, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The Evansville Police Department released a statement to the public following the explosion, saying that “Our thoughts are with those closely involved with the explosion that happened on North Weinbach this afternoon.”

Late Wednesday and into Thursday morning, numerous First Responders were conducting searches for additional victims among the damaged homes in the area, with some of the dwellings deemed “too unstable to enter,” with more injured or dead potentially expected to be found, officials said.

The Southwest Chapter of the American Red Cross of Indiana confirmed that they have assisted approximately 15 families that have been displaced by the explosion so far to find lodging.

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