Deadly Explosion in Baltimore: 'It Knocked Me Across the Bed'

3 row homes leveled in gas explosion that kills one
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 10, 2020 11:13 AM CDT
‘Major’ Gas Explosion Destroys Homes in Baltimore
Firefighters at the scene of the explosion in Baltimore.   (Jerry Jackson/The Baltimore Sun via AP)

One woman is dead and three row homes have been destroyed by what's being described as a "major gas explosion" in northwest Baltimore. The Sun reports at least two others suffered serious injury, and another person remains trapped and is communicating with rescuers. The blast occurred minutes before 10am at Reisterstown and Labyrinth roads; people miles away reported feeling it, and those closer say they had doors blown from their hinges. The AP reports a fourth row house was destroyed in part and describes the neighborhood as covered in glass from blown-out windows.

"It knocked me across the bed," said Moses Glover, a 77-year-old living in the neighborhood. "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." The Sun reports that while the cause of the blast has yet to be identified, the city is dogged by issues regarding gas leaks, almost two dozen of which are found daily, per Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. data. Pipe joints that are as much as 70 years old are a source of failure, and the paper estimates that thousands of miles of pipes need to be replaced. (More Baltimore stories.)

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