At least five injured in a massive explosion on Monday morning, August 25, which destroyed 20 homes in St Louis County, Missouri. After receiving the information, Black Jack Fire (BJF) rushed to the spot and responded to the situation. According to the BJF chief, Paul Peebles, the incident took place at the 13800 block of Evan Aire Dr at around 9.15 am.
Peebles said when they reached the spot, they found five homes completely destroyed by fire and “not much left of them there.”. During the press conference on the incident of the blast, Chief Peebles said everyone had been accounted for in the incident.
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By Monday afternoon, the St Louis County Police Department reached the scene with a sniffer dog squad to find any bodies or casualties under the rubble.
CCTV Video of St Louis County Blast
The gas company Spire team the county’s Bomb and Arson Unit arrived shortly after the explosion to investigate the cause of the blast. However, 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.
Merrill said Spire had not received any 811 calls or reports of a gas leak in the past couple of months prior to the explosion. The American Red Cross responded to assist affected homeowners and residents in finding shelter for the next couple of days.
"In reference to the home explosion in the North County precinct, at this time at least three people were transported with injuries from the scene," St Louis County Police Department wrote on X, giving details about the incident.
"The call came out about 9:13 AM from the 13,800 block of Evan Aire Drive in unincorporated St. Louis County. Fire officials from the Blackjack Fire Protection District, officers from the St. Louis County police North County Precinct, along with numerous other fire and police personnel responded to the scene to assist," wrote further.
"At this time there is widespread damage to homes in the area and anyone who does not live in the area is asked to avoid the area at this time. The St. Louis Regional Bomb And Arson Unit along with the Blackjack Fire Protection District will be on scene throughout today, assessing the damage and investigating the cause of the explosion," tweet reads further.