People hear home explosion before deadly fire, Missouri cops say. ‘A distinct boom’
Update, 3:34 p.m.: A second person was found dead after an explosion and house fire in St. Louis County, authorities said. The investigation is ongoing.
People in an eastern Missouri neighborhood reported hearing an explosion as a house turned into a raging fire, authorities said.
“We live six-tenths of a mile away from here,” Bob Mannecke told KSDK. “And I heard a distinct boom. We saw the house fully engulfed. You could tell there was an explosion of some sort.”
The St. Louis County Police Department was called to the home in northern St. Louis County at about 1:21 a.m. Friday, June 17, according to a news release. Officers found a person dead outside the home, which was still burning.
The victim had “injuries consistent with the fire,” authorities said. The person’s age and gender were not known as of 10 a.m.
Police said four other victims were taken to area hospitals with life-threatening injuries.
Video from KSDK shows the shell of a home as firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze. The local station reports the windows of a home across the street were blown out, and two vehicles parked about 50 feet away were damaged.
Other neighbors felt their home shaking during the explosion, KMOV reported. Debris was found as far as a block away.
Surrounding homes were “evacuated as a precaution,” authorities said.
The homeowner reported three of her kids, and potentially three other children, were in the garage at the time of the explosion, according to KMOV. Three adults were inside the home.
The St. Louis County Police Crimes Against Persons and St. Louis Regional Bomb and Arson detectives are investigating.
If you have additional information, authorities ask you to call St. Louis County investigators at 636-529-8210. Tipsters can remain anonymous — and “potentially receive a reward” — by calling CrimeStoppers at 1-866-371-8477.
This story was originally published June 17, 2022 at 12:13 PM with the headline "People hear home explosion before deadly fire, Missouri cops say. ‘A distinct boom’."