People are already on edge over the massive blast that occurred in Beirut last week, and now reports are coming in about another major explosion, this time in Baltimore, that has reportedly left numerous families trapped inside their homes.
The Baltimore Firefighters IAFF Local 734 tweeted in the early morning hours of August 10 about an explosion that happened in the 6500 block of Reisterstown Road near Pikesville. Several houses had "exploded," the union indicated, resulting in at least five people, including children, becoming trapped.
"A Collapse Response and Second Alarm has been called," the tweet further revealed.
According to Fox Baltimore, multiple medical units were called to the scene, with the latest count indicating that at least four people are seriously injured and one has died, with many more still trapped inside their homes.
"We are closely monitoring the situation in northwest Baltimore following this morning's horrific explosion," tweeted Gov. Larry Hogan in a statement. "We have reached out to offer our full support to the ongoing response and recovery efforts, and are deeply grateful to the first responders on the scene."
Local news reports are suggesting that a gas leak may have been the cause of the explosion, though it remains unclear what actually transpired to produce this massive fallout.
Aerial imagery of the destruction shows wreckage and debris blanketing a residential lot in the affected area. As you will notice, the scene looks as if a large tornado swept through, or some other powerful natural disaster.
Is this just more proof that Baltimore's infrastructure is failing?
At least three homes were leveled by the blast, which ironically enough is just more evidence of the continued collapse of Baltimore, in this case infrastructurally.
Besides the crime and chaos, Baltimore – like many other American cities – is rapidly descending into third-world status due to aging infrastructure that is in dire need of repair.
How many more homes throughout the Baltimore area are at risk of sudden explosion from what appears to be failing gas lines? Or is there more to the story than this?
"It was like a bomb went off," is how one area resident described how it felt when the explosion occurred.
City councilman Isaac "Yitzy" Schleifer indicated that housing inspectors were sent to the scene of the blast to investigate what may have set it all off. Of particular concern is the fact that the homes in this area of town are attached row houses, meaning others could potentially suffer the same fate if the situation is not properly rectified.
For the time being, Baltimore Gas & Electric has shut off gas to the area while crews look into the situation further.
Interestingly, eyewitnesses told local media that they felt a large boom, followed by the ground shaking for at least a four-block radius. This would seem to suggest some type of detonation.
"I heard a kaboom and I thought it was a car or something and when I came out, I seen the debris and something's gone totally wrong," one area man by the name of Paul Gessler stated during a news interview.
"It was catastrophic," added Dean Jones, another area resident. "It was like a bomb, like you watch things in other countries where they have like bombings and things like that. It was like watching that in real life."
"Telephone poles split, I mean, houses down the block, broken glass," he added. "When I initially got there, I could hear a voice just saying, 'Help!' It's crazy. It's something I don't ever want to see again; I don't want to relive it ever again."
For more related news about America's declining infrastructure, be sure to check out Collapse.news.
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