MD: RESIDENTS REACT AFTER FATAL HOUSE EXPLOSION
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ANNAPOLIS, Maryland (WJZ) — Fire investigators are looking into what caused a deadly house explosion in Annapolis, Maryland.
One woman was killed and a man was seriously hurt in the explosion that leveled a home on Green Holly Drive around 12:15 p.m. Wednesday.
Anne Arundel County Fire Department Assistant Fire Chief Larry Schultz said in a news conference that the blast caused the upper floor of the home to collapse onto the lower level.
The department is investigating whether propane used inside the home may have contributed to the explosion. Schultz said a vendor had been at the house about an hour before the blast to resupply propane.
He said the priority for crews was to locate and secure the propane tank. Once that’s done, they’ll conduct a thorough inspection of the damage.
“Wherever the tank is, whether it’s underground and there’s a feed on top or whether the tank is above ground, everything is kind of buried in debris,” Schultz said. “So if we can find out who that vendor is and they can point us in the right direction, that would be really helpful.”
Schultz said the explosion sent debris about a half-block up the street.
Fire officials said the woman who died went into cardiac arrest following the explosion. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Neighbors had started performing CPR before firefighters arrived.
A man found inside the house suffered severe burns and was airlifted to a hospital, according to fire officials.
A search dog was also brought in to help determine whether anyone else may be trapped in the debris.
“The integrity is significantly challenged, but we don’t have anybody to confirm that there was not somebody else there, a friend, a neighbor who may have come to help,” Schultz said.
Four neighboring homes were evacuated as a precaution. Investigators are searching for doorbell camera video that may have recorded the explosion.
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