Two dead, homes damaged after large explosion rocks Houston
- The blast, which was felt as far away as 22km, appeared to have originated at a machining and manufacturing company
- ‘The whole ceiling crashed down on all of us,’ a resident said
A massive explosion at a manufacturing building ripped through a Houston neighbourhood early Friday morning, and police said at least two people were killed and several injured while homes were damaged by the explosion that sent out blast waves detected for miles.
“First and foremost, I want to say that we do have confirmed fatalities in this case, at least two confirmed fatalities,” Houston police chief Art Acevedo said at a press briefing.
Aerial video showed the shredded and collapsed wreckage of the Watson Grinding and Manufacturing building smouldering but no longer flaming, along with widespread damage to area homes and businesses from the force of the blast.
The moment of the explosion, around 4:25am (1025 GMT), was captured on a home security camera, also aired on KTRK, that showed a blinding flash in the distance, followed by a fireball.
Acevedo said one employee was unaccounted for, according to the Houston Chronicle.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said the blast was felt as far away as 14 miles (22km), based on social media reports.