Indianapolis explosion
- Thread starter MadJack
- Start date
The blast hit the Richmond Hill subdivision, near Stop 11 and Sherman Drive, just after 11 p.m. It obliterated two houses immediately, badly damaged two adjacent houses that were set afire from the blast and rocked neighbors out of their living room chairs, sent shelves and wall hangings flying and scattered debris across an area of several blocks.
Alex Pflanzer, 31, and his wife, Whitney, were in bed when their windows exploded and their ceiling collapsed, spreading insulation everywhere. Pflanzer said his instinct was to grab his gun. Heading outside, they saw people covered in blood leaving the neighborhood.
"It was like a war zone," Whitney Pflanzer said. "It was silent after that. And it was dark and dusty, and I thought it was a nightmare ? it was a nightmare."
Authorities fearing a gas explosion ordered an evacuation that sent residents walking through neighborhood streets and across nearby fields in slippers and pajamas, toting children in blankets, some with pets on leashes, some with their pets left behind. Within an hour, more than 200 people were huddling at the Mary Bryan Elementary School, a temporary shelter that soon was flooded with donations of food and supplies. Gas and electricity to the neighborhood was shut off and it's not clear when residents will be able to return.
The blast was so immense, the debris so widespread and the flames so bright that some initially thought it was the result of a plane crash, a notion that authorities quickly dismissed. While a gas explosion seemed most likely, Indianapolis Fire Department spokeswoman Bonnie Hensley said she's never seen a gas explosion that powerful.
"A lot of it looks like a tornado," Hensley said. "The extent of the damage is large and it goes out a pretty good ways."
So devastating was the scene that rescue workers were going door to door looking for victims and marking the houses that had been searched in much the same way tornado-stricken areas are notated.
"Every investigator in town is sorting through the rubble tonight," Hensley said at about 3 a.m. "We don't know if there are any more victims."
Alex Pflanzer, 31, and his wife, Whitney, were in bed when their windows exploded and their ceiling collapsed, spreading insulation everywhere. Pflanzer said his instinct was to grab his gun. Heading outside, they saw people covered in blood leaving the neighborhood.
"It was like a war zone," Whitney Pflanzer said. "It was silent after that. And it was dark and dusty, and I thought it was a nightmare ? it was a nightmare."
Authorities fearing a gas explosion ordered an evacuation that sent residents walking through neighborhood streets and across nearby fields in slippers and pajamas, toting children in blankets, some with pets on leashes, some with their pets left behind. Within an hour, more than 200 people were huddling at the Mary Bryan Elementary School, a temporary shelter that soon was flooded with donations of food and supplies. Gas and electricity to the neighborhood was shut off and it's not clear when residents will be able to return.
The blast was so immense, the debris so widespread and the flames so bright that some initially thought it was the result of a plane crash, a notion that authorities quickly dismissed. While a gas explosion seemed most likely, Indianapolis Fire Department spokeswoman Bonnie Hensley said she's never seen a gas explosion that powerful.
"A lot of it looks like a tornado," Hensley said. "The extent of the damage is large and it goes out a pretty good ways."
So devastating was the scene that rescue workers were going door to door looking for victims and marking the houses that had been searched in much the same way tornado-stricken areas are notated.
"Every investigator in town is sorting through the rubble tonight," Hensley said at about 3 a.m. "We don't know if there are any more victims."
Yeah, that looks like your typical meth lab neighborhood.
I'ma go with gas, for $2000, Alex.
To be honest with you, I would've thought more based on the pics
I would have to think natural gas was the cause
we are about 20 min away, and we heard it and was extermely loud. Dogs went crazy we went out and checked our area and then went back in.
A little while later I hopped on to twitter to search and started finding things.
Amazing not more died, and the people who lived in the house that exploded were gone in Lawrenceburg at the casino.
A little while later I hopped on to twitter to search and started finding things.
Amazing not more died, and the people who lived in the house that exploded were gone in Lawrenceburg at the casino.
