UPDATE: 3 killed in Evansville house explosion; 39 homes damaged

EVANSVILLE, In. (WTHR) - Emergency crews responded to an explosion involving at least one house that reverberated across a neighborhood in Evansville, killing three people, according to media reports.

The Vanderburgh County Coroner’s Office told WFIE-TV three people died in the explosion that occurred in the 1000 block of North Weinbach Avenue at about 1 p.m. CDT Wednesday.

The explosion had a 100-foot blast radius, Evansville Fire Chief Mike Connelly told the newspaper. The cause had not been determined.

A total of 39 houses were damaged in the explosion, firefighters said, including four which were destroyed. Fire officials told WFIE-TV in Evansville most of the houses in the surrounding area were unoccupied, except for pets, at the time of the explosion.

Aerial video posted on social media shows damage strewn in a residential neighborhood with numerous police and fire vehicles on the scene.

Jacki Baumgart, an office manager at Award World Trophies about 2 1/2 blocks from the site of the explosion, said she and other employees in their building panicked when they heard the blast.

“It was loud,” Baumgart said. “There was huge smoke.”

“We thought a tree fell on the building or a car ran into the place,” she said. “Debris from the ceiling came down.”

She continued: “Everybody here immediately ran out of the building. We thought the building was going to come down.”

Officials say that most surrounding houses were unoccupied except for pets. A security camera at nearby ABK Tracking captured the explosion on video and shared it with WFIE.

This is a developing story. Check back for further updates.