A natural gas explosion left three dead and two people missing in the Pennsylvania city of Allentown, emergency services officials said Wednesday. The explosion late Tuesday destroyed two connected homes, said Captain George Medero of the Allentown Police Department. The dead included a four-month-old baby and a 79-year-old.
A subsequent fire destroyed at least eight other homes and forced the evacuation of 265 people in a nearby apartment building for elderly and disabled and 100 from other residences.
Fire companies from surrounding municipalities gathered to aid the response and emergency crews continued to work at the scene early Wednesday. Fire Chief William Scheirer described a chaotic scene in freezing temperatures. Utility crews had difficulty punching through ice and frozen ground to turn off gas to the area.
Water from fire hoses turned to ice almost immediately, he said, and small fires popped up from the ground. "We had gas fires burning out in the street," Scheirer said. In all, 47 properties - 10 of them business - were damaged, either from fire, ice or from rescue workers forcing entry into some buildings in an effort to find and evacuate residents. Joseph Swope, a spokesperson for the gas utility UGI, said gas service to the immediate area has been shut down and an investigation into the cause is ongoing.
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