Authorities are investigating a devastating [1] house explosion in Bethel, Ohio, that left two people dead and one person hospitalized on Tuesday morning.
The incident occurred on Vic Joy Drive and has shaken the close-knit community.
According to Bethel-Tate Fire Department Chief Christopher Cooper, his team responded to the explosion and fire at approximately 8:44 a.m.
The single-story home was leveled, scattering debris throughout the neighborhood.
Cooper confirmed that a man and a woman were killed in the blast, though their names have not been released.
A third individual, identified as a worker for an HVAC company, sustained burn injuries and was transported to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center for treatment.
The cause of the explosion remains under investigation, with the Ohio State Fire Marshal’s Office leading the effort in collaboration with the Clermont County fire investigation team and the local sheriff’s office.
Officials have not determined whether the HVAC work being performed at the home played a role in the explosion.
Chief Cooper described the incident as unusually powerful. “It definitely had a large, large amount of energy to it to make a house like that go apart,” he said. Propane was connected to the home, but investigators have not yet identified any definitive links to the explosion.
Neighbors described [2] the shockwave and chaos that followed the blast. Derrick Gullett, who lived next door, said he was thrown from his bed by the force of the explosion. ” It sounded sound as if I thought somebody had drove into the side of my house like I felt the shock wave from through a brick house,” he said.
Here is what one neighbor said about the house explosion in Bethel this morning. @wlwt [3] pic.twitter.com/9G56RpZZxt [4]
— Karin Johnson WLWT (@karinjohnson) November 19, 2024 [5]
Gullett added that the homeowner was a Vietnam War veteran who mostly kept to himself but was always friendly. “He was always the first one to give you a wave.”
Another neighbor, Stephanie Young, said the sound and force were like nothing she had ever experienced. “I heard a boom. You could feel it. It was louder than any boom I’ve ever heard,” Young said. “A mess. Just everywhere,” she added, describing the debris scattered across the area.
A nearby doorbell camera captured the moment of the explosion, and social media quickly filled with reports from residents who felt the blast from surrounding homes.
WATCH: Video shows the moment a home exploded this morning in Tate Township, Ohio, killing 2 people
A neighbor told local news outlet WCPO that a man with his hair on fire came running from the house after the blast and told him he’d been working on the home’s furnace when “all… pic.twitter.com/2jdfUuKryf [6]
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) November 19, 2024 [7]
One neighbor said the explosion “rattled my house” and compared the shockwave to feeling as if “somebody had driven into the side of my house.”
Chief Cooper noted that there were numerous animals, particularly cats, in and around the home at the time of the explosion.
The extent of their involvement or any additional injuries has not been disclosed.
Investigators have cautioned that it may take time to determine the cause of the explosion. “It’s not something that we usually will impact or see on a daily basis,” Cooper said.
This tragic incident has left the community mourning the loss of two lives while awaiting answers from authorities as the investigation continues.