3 people died and 39 homes were damaged after house explosion in Indiana

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• (CNN)An explosion in Evansville, Indiana resulted in three fatalities and at least 39 homes being destroyed, Fire Department Chief Mike Connelly announced at a news conference on Wednesday.
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• Connelly stated, "We haven't finished our search, there may be further victims." "Entry inside the buildings is not yet safe."
• According to the preliminary survey, 39 homes have "serious to light damage," the chief continued.
• The American Red Cross would assist the affected families, the head subsequently revealed to reporters, adding that 11 of the 39 homes were left uninhabitable.
• About 3 hours drive separates Evansville from Indianapolis.
• Mayor Lloyd Winnecke said first responders and neighbourhood departments will "keep residents in the Willemette Village/Wesselman Park areas safe and informed" in a tweet that included images of the site that showed damaged and destroyed homes as well as mountains of debris.
• The situation was "devastating," the mayor told CNN affiliate WFIE, adding that it will probably take some time to piece together what transpired.

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• After walking up to the house and seeing the destruction in person, Winnecke stated, "I had seen photographs that had been posted online, but seeing the carnage with my own eyes was, I mean, it was a gut punch."
• The mayor said, "You'll see house after house across the street from the explosion that has windows blown out, that has, you know, insulation ripped out from homes.
• A structural collapse team was enlisted to inspect the structure and confirm that all gas and electrical circuits "had integrity," according to the chief.
• The State Fire Marshal and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were two of the eight agencies that were present.

• At a news conference on Wednesday evening, the chief stated, "They will resume the inquiry in the morning." For an occurrence of this size and sort, this is standard operating procedure.
• Once utilities are protected and the ATF determines that their portion of the investigation is complete, search and rescue personnel will be permitted to enter the area once more, Connelly said.

• Authorities additionally urged locals to avoid the region.
• Connelly stated that an inquiry into the occurrence and the explosion's cause is already under way.

• According to officials, a house explosion that occurred on Wednesday in Evansville, Indiana, claimed the lives of three people and caused damage to 39 additional residences.

• Following the explosion just before 1 p.m., one other individual was rushed to the hospital, according to Evansville Fire Chief Mike Connelly. Connelly stated that person had non-life-threatening wounds in a Thursday morning update.

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The next of kin will be notified before the identities of the deceased and other information are made public, according to the Vanderburgh County Coroner's Office.

Connelly said on Thursday that the reason for the blast, which occurred on North Weinbach Avenue, is still unknown.

The fire chief stated that the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives' Wednesday evening examination of the bomb scene "did not impede on the investigation by fire and police to go through and search through the damage."

11 of the 39 impacted properties had to be razed because they were judged uninhabitable.