VIDEO: Five people were hospitalized and approximately 20 homes damaged following an explosion Monday morning in unincorporated north St. Louis County. According to Black Jack Fire Chief Paul Peebles, crews responded to reports of a home explosion in the area of the 13800 block of Evan Aire Dr. around 9:15 a.m. When they arrived, they found five homes on fire with “not much left of them there.”
During a late morning news conference, Chief Peebles said everyone had been accounted for. By the afternoon, the St. Louis County Police Department confirmed that search teams with cadaver-sniffing dogs did not find any bodies among the rubble.
The explosion injured five people, including an 18-year-old who is still in the hospital with life-threatening injuries, according to the St. Louis County Police Department. No first responders were injured and no fatalities were reported from the explosion. “It is a blessing that no one was killed,” Rep. Wesley Bell said. “You can look at this carnage and the fact that no one was killed is an absolute blessing. But we’ve got a lot of folks who are in need.”
Crews from gas company Spire and the county’s Bomb and Arson Unit arrived shortly after the explosion to investigate the cause of the blast. Spire spokesperson Jason Merrill said they shut off all natural gas to approximately 30 homes in the area and have not found any issues with their natural gas infrastructure leading to the homes.
County authorities asked anyone who does not live in the immediate area to avoid the scene so first responders and investigators can do their jobs.
