House explosion in Maryland kills 2 and damages nearby homes

BEL AIR, Md. (AP) — Two people were killed and 12 families displaced after a Maryland house exploded Sunday amid reports of a possible gas leak, fire officials said.

Neighbors described feeling and hearing the early morning blast that damaged a number of surrounding houses in Bel Air, a town about about 30 miles (50 kilometers) northeast of Baltimore.

Firefighters were called to the area around 6:40 a.m. for a report of a gas leak and an outdoor odor of gas, said Oliver Alkire, a master deputy with the State Fire Marshal’s Office. Alkire said that as firefighters were approaching, they began receiving calls that the house had exploded. First responders pronounced one person dead at the scene, and a second body was later found in the rubble.

Alkire said that a home next door to the explosion was heavily damaged, and a woman in that house was treated for injuries on the scene. Two utility workers were in the area to work on a reported electrical issue, but authorities didn't immediately say if that was related to the explosion.

The first victim found was later identified as a contractor for the utility BGE, according to a statement released by Harford County Fire and EMS.

The State Fire Marshal's Office said late Sunday that the second body was found in the rubble of the home at the center of the blast. The person is believed to be the home's 73-year-old owner, but positive identification was pending, according to the fire officials' statement.

Investigators were also working to establish how many houses were damaged and how far the blast radius was. Harford County fire officials said that at least 12 families have been displaced due to damage to neighboring houses. Authorities said there was no ongoing threat to the public.

“I’ve been on the job for nearly 18 years, and this is one of the largest explosions I’ve seen,” Alkire said.

A photo posted by county officials showed several firefighters around the rubble of the home with another damaged home in the background. Charred pieces of wood were heaped on the property, and insulation and splintered wood spilled out into the street. Small pieces of debris hung from nearby trees. Later in the morning, emergency workers were seen using heavy equipment to search through the rubble.

More than 60 first responders came to the scene from multiple agencies. The state fire marshal, sheriff and federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms were assisting with the probe, as is standard procedure.

Lisa Czawlytko, who lives in a nearby condominium, said the explosion woke her and her three children and knocked a pet bird to the ground.

She said the roof structure on four condominium buildings buckled and sent aluminum siding from the roof down to the ground. She attended a news conference at a nearby library to ask officials if it was safe to be in the building.

She said she felt the force of the explosion.

“The whole building shook like a major earthquake,” she said in an interview.

Her 8-year-old daughter described it as scary, when her mother asked her how she felt when it happened .

“I thought a bomb dropped,” Myca said.

The blast woke up Greg Clifford from a heavy sleep inside his townhouse about a block away. He first thought that a tree had fallen on his deck, or that a lightning strike caused the loud noise.

“It just shook the whole thing,” Clifford said. “It was crazy loud.”

He also noted some damage to his home.

“The window in my bedroom is pulled away from the framing of the house,” Clifford said. “I mean, I can look straight down to my deck. My basement door — the glass — it didn’t shatter, but it blew in, and my frame’s all cracked out.”

Crew workers remove debris after a house exploded in a Bel Air, Md. neighborhood, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Crew workers remove debris after a house exploded in the Bel Air, Md. neighborhood on Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Crew workers remove debris after a house exploded in Bel Air, Md. neighborhood, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Crew workers remove the debris after a house exploded in Bel Air, Md. neighborhood on Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Crew workers remove the debris after a house exploded in Bel Air, Md. neighborhood on Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

A police officer stands near a police line where a house exploded in Bel Air, Md. neighborhood on Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Crew workers remove debris after a house exploded in Bel Air, Md. neighborhood on Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Crew workers remove the debris after a house exploded in Bel Air, Md. neighborhood on Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

In this photo provided by Joppa Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company, debris is seen in a street after an apparent house explosion in Harford County, Maryland, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024. Fire officials say at least one person has died after an apparent explosion leveled a house in a town northeast of Baltimore. (Joppa Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company via AP)

NEW YORK (AP) — Juan Soto homered during New York's three-run third inning, Carlos Rodón got his first postseason win and the Yankees took advantage of Cleveland's wildness in a 5-2 victory on Monday night in Game 1 of the AL Championship Series.

Cleveland became the second team to throw a pair of run-scoring wild pitches in a postseason inning and tied a postseason record with five overall. Guardians pitchers walked six in a nine-batter span and nine overall.

Giancarlo Stanton added his 13th career postseason homer for the Yankees, who are seeking a record 41st AL pennant. New York batters have walked 36 times in five postseason games.

Rodón rebounded from the Yankees’ only loss in the Division Series, limiting the Guardians to a pair of singles before Brayan Rocchio’s sixth-inning homer.

Steven Kwan pulled the Guardians within three runs when he extended his postseason hitting streak to a team-record 11 games with an RBI single in the eighth off Clay Holmes.

Luke Weaver entered with runners at the corners. He struck out pinch-hitter Will Brennan and retired José Ramírez on a groundout, and then followed a leadoff walk in the ninth with three straight strikeouts for his fourth save this postseason.

Game 2 is at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday night. Entering this year, teams taking the opener of a series with a 2-3-2 format have won 66 of 99 times.

Before a sellout crowd of 47,264 that included pop star Taylor Swift, Soto hit his first postseason homer for New York when he drove a high slider from Alex Cobb into the Yankees' bullpen in right-center.

Making his first playoff appearance in 11 years, Cobb walked the bases loaded in the third and rookie reliever Joey Cantillo threw a pair of run-scoring wild pitches. Cobb was removed because of hip tightness and a back spasm.

Cantillo had four wild pitches overall, one shy of the record for a postseason game set by Rick Ankiel of St. Louis in a 2000 NL Division Series opener against Atlanta. The only other time a team scored twice on wild pitches in a postseason inning was by Minnesota against Oakland in the 2002 AL Division Series.

Rodón struck out nine and walked none, getting 25 misses among 53 swings, matching the fourth-most misses in a postseason game since pitch-tracking began in 2008. His pitches broke so much that catcher Austin Wells had to throw to first three times on strikeouts for the putouts.

Cobb dropped in 0-2 in the playoffs, making just his fifth start in a season limited by injuries. He threw 36 of 65 pitches for strikes, getting only one swing and miss, and allowed three runs, five hits and three walks in 2 2/3 innings.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Yankees: LHP Nestor Cortes (flexor strain in pitching elbow) is to throw a second bullpen session Wednesday and is a possibility for the World Series roster, should the Yankees advance.

UP NEXT

Yankees RHP Gerrit Cole makes his third postseason start on Wednesday after beating Kansas City in the Division Series clincher. He is 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA this postseason. RHP Tanner Bibee starts for the Guardians. He had a 2.08 ERA without a decision in a pair of Division Series starts against Detroit. Bibee has pitched once at Yankee Stadium, his second big league outing in May 2023. He allowed two runs over 5 1/3 innings in a no-decision, giving up Anthony Volpe’s opposite-field homer over the right field short porch.

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Travis Kelce, top right, and Taylor Swift watch Game 1 of the baseball AL Championship Series between the Cleveland Guardians and New York Yankees Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Cleveland Guardians' José Ramírez reacts after grounding out against the New York Yankees during the eighth inning in Game 1 of the baseball AL Championship Series Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Godofredo Vásquez)

New York Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton celebrates in the dugout after hitting a home run against the Cleveland Guardians during the seventh inning in Game 1 of the baseball AL Championship Series Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Godofredo Vásquez )

New York Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton, center, hits a home run off Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Erik Sabrowski (62) during the seventh inning in Game 1 of the baseball AL Championship Series Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

New York Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton watches his home run against the Cleveland Guardians during the seventh inning in Game 1 of the baseball AL Championship Series Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Yankees' Juan Soto, left, celebrates with Alex Verdugo (24) after scoring on a wild pitch against the Cleveland Guardians during the third inning in Game 1 of the baseball AL Championship Series Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Godofredo Vásquez)

New York Yankees' Aaron Judge scores on a wild pitch by Cleveland Guardians pitcher Joey Cantillo during the third inning in Game 1 of the baseball AL Championship Series Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Joey Cantillo adjusts his cap after walking New York Yankees' Gleyber Torres during the fourth inning in Game 1 of the baseball AL Championship Series Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Godofredo Vásquez)

Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Alex Cobb reacts after giving up a home run to New York Yankees' Juan Soto during the third inning in Game 1 of the baseball AL Championship Series Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Yankees' Juan Soto celebrates after hitting a home run against the Cleveland Guardians during the third inning in Game 1 of the baseball AL Championship Series Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)