At least four people were killed and two others were injured when a house exploded Thursday night in a neighborhood about 40 miles north of Philadelphia, authorities said.
Police and firefighters in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, were dispatched to the scene shortly after 8 p.m., local official Justin M. Keller told reporters during a news conference. They found “multiple victims in need of medical attention,” he said.
In addition to the four confirmed fatalities, two people were hospitalized and two more may be missing, Keller said. An investigation was underway, he added, and several agencies, including Pennsylvania State Police and the Red Cross, sent personnel to the site Thursday night.
Information on the cause of the explosion and the identities of the dead or injured was not available until early Friday. Pottstown Police Department could not be reached for comment.
Stephen J. Rodriguez, the Pottstown School District Superintendent, said in a message to parents Thursday night that classes would be canceled on Friday due to the blast.