First responders confirm one person dead in Gladstone home explosion
GLADSTONE, Mo. (KCTV) - The Gladstone Fire Department has confirmed that one person has died after a Saturday morning explosion destroyed a house.
Reports of an explosion began surfacing around 11:20 a.m. on May 31 in the area of NE 74th Terrace and N Main Street. Residents living near the home said they could feel the blast, and the smoke was visible for miles.
“Just a loud boom shook the entire house,” said Kevin Henderson-Long, who was inside during the explosion. “I ran outside, saw the smoke and heard all the sirens coming. There was just debris everywhere.”
“We were initially thinking that it was a transformer, but I don’t think that was the case,” said Andrew Henderson-Long, watching the scene.
Around 2 p.m., the City of Gladstone stated that the area is secure and safe, but just before 4 p.m., the fire chief announced that one person died in the explosion.
Gladstone police confirmed that the surrounding houses sustained some damage in the explosion, and the City said the original home was “completely destroyed.”
According to the Evergy outage map, there were about 87 customers nearby whose power was affected by the explosion. By 1:20 p.m., this number was reduced to 76.
The cause of the explosion is still under investigation. Gladstone City Manager Bob Baer said the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will be involved in the investigation, per standard protocol.This is a breaking news story and will be updated as more information becomes available. KCTV5 has a crew on the scene.
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