US: Pennsylvania house explosion leaves five dead

At least five people died in an explosion in a house in the US state of Pennsylvania on Saturday.

Five people die as explosion rocks a house in US state of Pennsylvania. Photo Courtesy: Twitter video grab

The flames spread to nearby houses and even shattered windows, following the explosion, media reports said.

Three homes on Rustic Ridge Drive were levelled by the explosion, and about a dozen others were damaged, county officials were quoted as saying by The New York Times during a press conference.

Lanny Conley, the chief of the Plum Borough Police Department, told a press conference on Sunday four adults and one adolescent died and their bodies have been recovered from the scene.

The names and ages of the victims have not been revealed so far.

Out of the three injured people, two have been released from the hospital.

The condition of the third injured person was critical.

Emergency medical workers treated 57 firefighters for minor issues while they responded to the explosion and fire, Imbarlina Steve Imbarlina, the assistant chief for Allegheny County emergency services, was quoted as saying by The New York Times.

“That could have been anything from a strain sprain to heat-related issues,” he said. “They were treated on scene and returned back to duty and re-entered the effort.”
 
An investigation into the incident is currently going on.

The cause of the explosion is still not known.