Four people have died and two others were injured following a house explosion in Northfield Township, Michigan, on Saturday.
Lt. David Powell of Northfield Township Police said in arelease posted to Facebookthat the incident took place on Dec. 30, 2023, when police and fire agencies were dispatched to a home for an “unknown explosion.”
“Upon arrival, police and fire personnel found a single-family residence to be completely destroyed with a debris field covering approximately [two] acres of the property,” Powell said in the statement.
He added, “Police and fire personnel learned that there were [six] occupants in the residence and began a search of the area for the occupants while fire personnel worked on extinguishing the fire.”
Northfield Township Police Department Facebook
According to police, law enforcement and fire personnel “located three deceased individuals from the residence on scene and three other residents were transported to an area hospital for medical treatment.” One of those transported to the hospital later succumbed to their injuries.
None of the victims have yet been publicly identified.
As of 1 p.m. ET on Dec. 31, 2023, “there are four (4) confirmed fatalities with the other two (2) residents still hospitalized,” Powell shared.
Northfield Township Police Department.Northfield Township Police Department Facebook
Speaking to NBC affiliateWDIV, a neighbor of the home that exploded said, “It went off like a bomb. I don’t know how to explain it. It was the scariest thing I’ve ever seen.”
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
No other homes in the surrounding area sustained damage, thoughThe Detroit Newsreported that debris was spread over two acres from the force of the blast and that the explosion could be heard from nine miles away.
Although authorities said that “the investigation into the cause of the explosion will continue for several days,” investigators working at the scene have been hindered due to what the police called “a tremendous amount of vehicle traffic” on the street where the incident took place.
“We want to advise the public that this is an active investigation,” Powell said, per the release, adding, “We would like to extend our sincere condolences to the victim’s families during this difficult time.”
source: people.com
