PHOTOS: Gas explosion levels 3 Baltimore homes; 1 dead, 1 trapped

Posted: Aug 10, 2020 / 11:17 AM CDT / Updated: Aug 10, 2020 / 11:17 AM CDT

Firefighters at the scene of where homes are destroyed Monday, August 10, 2020 at Boxhill Road and Reisterstown Road in Northeast Baltimore. A natural gas explosion has completely destroyed three row houses in Baltimore, killing at least one person and critically injuring several others. (Jerry Jackson/The Baltimore Sun via AP)

BALTIMORE (AP) — A “major gas explosion” completely destroyed three row houses in Baltimore on Monday, killing a woman, injuring several other people and trapping at least one person in the wreckage, firefighters said.

At least three dozen firefighters converged on the disaster scene, where the natural gas explosion reduced to the homes to piles of rubble and pieces of debris. A fourth house in the row was partly destroyed, and the neighborhood was strewn with glass from shattered windows.

Two of the homes’ occupants were taken to hospitals in serious condition, while an adult woman was pronounced dead at the scene, the fire department tweeted.

Firefighters at the scene of where homes are destroyed Monday, August 10, 2020 at Boxhill Road and Reisterstown Road in Northeast Baltimore. A natural gas explosion has completely destroyed three row houses in Baltimore, killing at least one person and critically injuring several others. (Jerry Jackson/The Baltimore Sun via AP)
Authorities guide a person after an explosion in Baltimore on Monday, Aug. 10, 2020. Baltimore firefighters say an explosion has leveled several homes in the city. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
People gather outside an explosion site in Baltimore on Monday, Aug. 10, 2020. The “major gas explosion” that involved three houses at Labyrinth and Reistertown roads has left multiple people, including children, trapped according to the Baltimore Fire Department. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
People gather outside an explosion in Baltimore on Monday, Aug. 10, 2020. Baltimore firefighters say an explosion has leveled several homes in the city. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Authorities walk among the piles of debris from an explosion in Baltimore on Monday, Aug. 10, 2020. The “major gas explosion” that involved three houses at Labyrinth and Reistertown roads has left multiple people, including children, trapped according to the Baltimore Fire Department. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Baltimore City Fire Department carries a person out from the debris after an explosion in Baltimore on Monday, Aug. 10, 2020. Baltimore firefighters say an explosion has leveled several homes in the city. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Baltimore City Fire Department carries a person out from the debris after an explosion in Baltimore on Monday, Aug. 10, 2020. Baltimore firefighters say an explosion has levelled several homes in the city. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Baltimore City Fire Department carries a person out from the debris after an explosion in Baltimore on Monday, Aug. 10, 2020. Baltimore firefighters say an explosion has levelled several homes in the city. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
A woman stands in front of a pile of debris after an explosion in Baltimore on Monday, Aug. 10, 2020. Baltimore firefighters say an explosion has levelled several homes in the city. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
The inside of a home across the street is damaged after an explosion in Baltimore on Monday, Aug. 10, 2020. Baltimore firefighters say an explosion has leveled several homes in the city. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Clothing hangs in a tree in the aftermath of an explosion in Baltimore on Monday, Aug. 10, 2020. Baltimore firefighters say an explosion has leveled several homes in the city. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

The firefighters’ union tweeted that special rescue operation units were searching for other people.

The Baltimore Gas and Electric Company received an “initial call” from the fire department at 9:54 a.m. on Monday and was working to turn off the gas to buildings in the immediate area, its spokeswoman Linda Foy said.

“We are on the scene and working closely with the fire department to make the situation safe,” she said, without answering any questions from reporters. “Once the gas is off, we can begin to safely assess the situation, including inspections of BGE equipment.”

Moses Glover was inside his nearby home when he heard a boom and looked outside his window. Suddenly, a second blast knocked him off his feet, he told The Baltimore Sun.

“It knocked me across the bed,” said Glover, 77. “I came downstairs and saw all of the front of the houses across the street, they were on the ground. I had a picture window downstairs, the glass is in the chair now.”

Moses struggled to steady his breathing and said he was “shook up” by the experience.