1 found dead after Blair County house explosion that injured 5 others

TYRONE — One person was found dead after a house explosion in central Pennsylvania that reportedly injured five other people, authorities said.

Emergency dispatchers in Blair County said the blast in Tyrone was reported shortly after 1 p.m. Monday and flames spread to two other houses.

Deputy coroner Samantha Kimberling said in a news release late Monday night that human remains were discovered in one of the structures. An autopsy is slated to determine the cause of death.

WTAJ-TV said five people were reported to have been transported to hospitals. Dispatchers said the injured were taken to Altoona Hospital and Tyrone Hospital. The extent of injuries wasn’t immediately available.

AMED Authority director Gary Watters said Peoples Natural Gas had responded earlier to reports of a gas odor and was at the home and had called for additional resources to help just before the explosion, the station reported.

Some nearby residences remained on evacuation status Tuesday morning. PNG spokesperson Barry Kukovich said the company had multiple crews in the area trying to determine what happened and if any danger remained.

“We heard a loud, loud noise, a loud crash,” neighbor Kenneth Parks told KDKA-TV. “And we both looked down the street and this house had collapsed into itself. It was kind of startling.”