Two dead in south side home explosion

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Two people have been confirmed killed, more than a dozen homes are damaged or destroyed after a large explosion rocked a south side neighborhood late Saturday night.

The Indianapolis Fire Department says the explosion happened on the 8400 block of Fieldfare Way, which is in a subdivision just off of Sherman Avenue south of Stop 11 Road.

IFD says there is one confirmed fatality at the scene.  Indianapolis Fire Department spokesperson Bonnie Hensley says that about 200 people were taken to a shelter at Mary Bryan Elementary School.  Hensley said that about 15-25 people will remain overnight at the shelter and are being assisted by the Red Cross.  The rest of the residents are staying with friends or family.

“We know nothing about [the victim] at this point…we don’t know the address of the house at this point” Hensley said.  “There were two houses that exploded; the houses on either side of them have extensive damage.”

Hensley said that a couple of the older guys said it looked like a war zone. Officials say they will be patrolling the scene and going through each house searching for additional victims throughout the night. They say more fatalities are expected.

PHOTOS | Viewer submitted photos from the scene

 

Our crews at the scene said that homes for over a block in each direction of the explosion are damaged.

Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard arrived on the scene to assess the situation shortly after Midnight.  He said the damage was widespread across the area, but residents were making the best of a tough situation.

“Most people are doing pretty good considering the circumstances," Ballard said. "There’s lots of help in there, IFD, IMPD, nurses, sheriff’s officers and pastors are in there [Mary Bryan Elementary]. IFD is checking names and creating a good database, so no one gets lost in the shuffle.”

Neighbors escape damaged homes, rescue trapped victims

Residents living near the scene recounted their experiences after the explosion.  Kurt McDonald, his son and nephew lived near the exploded home and rushed to the scene to help rescue a trapped family.  He spoke with WISH-TV’s Dustin Grove.

“When we heard the explosion, we went outside and it was like it was snowing, all the insulation falling down from the sky.  We looked over and saw where the smoke was coming from.  So we went over closer to the house, what I saw the house was just gone and a flame in the middle of the house. The house next door was caved in, and we heard people yelling. My son, nephew and I went in and got one daughter out, got another daughter out, she had a pretty big head wound.  The husband was trapped under a ton of stuff and all kinds of debris, and the wife was stuck in the recliner.”

Another neighbor, who lived across the street talked to WISH-TV’s Teresa Mackin on how his family escaped their home after the explosion.

“We were in the house and glass went flying everywhere and the ceilings came down," said a neighbor at the scene. "You know we just tried to get out of there. Once we get through the night we’ll call our insurance agent. We don’t have a home, it was damaged beyond repair.”    

“It’s nice to have the support of the community when these things happen. The mayor comes out is really comforting. You know, it’s going to get better.”

 “I was in the area when I heard the explosion,” said Marion County Sheriff John Layton.  “ I just followed the flames, along with several other IMPD officers, off-duty and retired officers were going door-to-door to clear homes…even for an old cop it was surreal.”

Few injuries reported

Fire crews with the Indianapolis Fire Department say two people have been transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Media relations with St. Francis say they have admitted one person with minor injuries into the emergency room.

One injured person reportedly drove to the hospital to be checked out.

The Indianapolis Fire Department says there is extensive damage to homes surrounding the explosion site. People in the area scattered. IndyGo buses took people to Mary Bryan Elementary.

Mental health counselors were called to the gymnasium of the school.

Local restaurants and residents have reached out, offering to bring food and water to the scene to help victims.

Callers into the WISH-TV newsroom say they heard and felt the explosion from areas around Indianapolis. One caller felt the explosion from Hancock County.