Deadly Indianapolis house blast ruined 31 homes, officials say
A massive home explosion in an Indianapolis neighborhood last weekend ruined 31 homes, according to a new estimate on Thursday from the Indianapolis Fire Department, which is still sifting through the damage.
Investigators still don’t know what caused Sunday’s blast, which killed Jennifer Longworth, 36, and her husband, John “Dion†Longworth, 34, and wholly disintegrated two homes at its center. The explosion could be felt for miles and collapsed roofs and and blew out doors, turning dozens of residents into refugees in their own city.
Fire officials revised their estimate of the number of uninhabitable homes upward to 31 from 29; at least five lots will have to be demolished.
Officials said the explosion damaged most of the homes in the 126-house subdivision, and several near the blast’s center still have to be inspected to determine the extent of the repairs necessary.
The public has not been allowed into the neighborhood, where 11 homes remain under the Indianapolis Fire Department’s custody as part of its investigation.
Funeral services for the Longworths are scheduled to be held Monday at the same church in which they were married, according to the Indianapolis Star.
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