Homes explode in Baltimore, killing 1 and injuring 3 others

(CNN) — One woman died and three people were hospitalized in serious condition after a major explosion in a residential area of Baltimore, according to Blair Adams, Public Information Officer for the Baltimore City Fire Department.

Three homes were reduced to rubble in a major gas explosion, Adams said.

Officials are investigating the cause and crews are searching for people who might be trapped inside. Overhead video of the scene showed first responders searching through the rubble.

“It’s a labor-intensive rescue,” Adams said. “You have homes that were pretty much crumbled … a ton of debris on the ground, so we’re pulling and trying to comb through to see if we can find any additional occupants.”

Three people have been rescued by firefighters, the Baltimore Firefighters IAFF Local 734 said, and the Baltimore Special Rescue Operations Team has begun search and rescue operations.

Baltimore City medical units and Baltimore County Fire Department units also have been called to the scene.

Dean Jones, who lives a few blocks away, told CNN affiliate WJZ he was sitting on his porch when the explosion shook his house.

“It was catastrophic. It was like a bomb, like you watch things in other countries where they have, like, bombings and things like that,” Jones said. “It was like watching that in real life. Telephone poles split. I mean, houses down the block, broken glass.

“When I initially got there, I could hear a voice just saying, ‘Help.’ It’s crazy.”

The Baltimore Sun reported last September that natural gas has been leaking out of old pipes increasingly in recent years. At the current rate, efforts by the Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. to replace the pipes will take at least two decades, the Sun reported.