Indiana home explosion devastates neighborhood

A house explosion in Evansville, Ind., flung boards, glass, and insulation 100 feet in all directions Wednesday, killing three people and injuring one. The blast damaged 39 surrounding homes. At least 11 are now uninhabitable and will have to be demolished, but rescuers were able to confirm Thursday that no one was hurt in the other houses. The explosion was big enough that employees 2½ blocks away felt it and ran out of their building, concerned it was going to collapse. The coroner has not released the identities of the victims, and the cause is still under investigation.

Has this happened before? In 2012, a man was convicted of tampering with a natural gas line at his then-girlfriend’s home, causing an explosion that killed two people and destroyed 80 homes in Indianapolis. He was attempting to commit insurance fraud. He, his girlfriend, and his half-brother all received long prison sentences.

Dig deeper: Read my report in The Sift on an Indiana man saving five people from a burning house.