Allentown, PA - 1 Dead, 5 Missing after Massive Gas Blast
Allentown, PA - A natural gas explosion in eastern Pennsylvania killed at least one person, leveled two houses, spawned fires that burned for more than seven hours and prompted the evacuation of hundreds of people. At least five others were unaccounted for Thursday.
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The victim lived in two-story row house in a downtown residential neighborhood that blew up about 10:45 p.m. Wednesday, police Chief Roger MacClean said. A couple in their 70s lived in the home, but the condition of the body prevented positive identification, fire Chief Robert Scheirer said.
The cause of the explosion was unclear.
The fires consumed an entire row of homes, Scheirer said. The blaze was put out early Thursday, delayed by the difficulty of digging through packed layers of snow and ice to a ruptured underground gas line that was feeding the flames, he said.
He predicted eight houses would be lost and another 16 damaged.
In all, 500 to 600 people were evacuated, including elderly residents of a high rise. Residents were allowed to return home early Thursday. They had been taken to a Jewish community center and an agricultural hall at the city’s fairgrounds while emergency crews worked overnight.
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