Blast tears through Baltimore neighborhood
(Reuters) - A gas explosion tore through a Baltimore neighborhood on Monday, killing at least one person, injuring four and trapping children as the blast destroyed at least three homes, firefighters and media said.
The Baltimore Sun reported it was a natural gas explosion, citing fire officials, but said the exact cause remained unknown.
The blast destroyed three brick row homes and ripped open the wall of another, spreading debris throughout the neighborhood as rescuers picked through a pile of rubble, searching for victims, news pictures showed.
One woman was killed, four people were hospitalized in serious condition, and firefighters were trying to rescue a sixth person, the Baltimore City Fire Department said on Twitter.
At one point at least five people were trapped, some of them children, the Baltimore Firefighters IAFF Local 734 said on Twitter.
Neighbors responding to the blast dug through rubble and called out for victims, one man told WBAL television.