Fire investigators search for survivors following reported house explosion in Bel Air

BALTIMORE -- Deputy State Fire Marshals have been searching for at least one person following a two-alarm fire that reportedly started with an explosion in Bel Air, Maryland, on Saturday, according to the Maryland Office of the State Fire Marshal.

First responders were able to find two homeowners following the fire, but they are still searching for another person, according to authorities.

Fire investigators have been trying to determine the origin and cause of the fire, Maryland officials said.

The Maryland Office of the State Fire Marshal has relied on heavy excavation equipment to assist investigators with removing debris from the fire, according to authorities.

Investigators are conducting the search with support from the Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company and agents from Baltimore's division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Maryland officials said.

A neighbor who lives on McGregor Way told WJZ's Caroline Foreback that the sound of the explosion woke him up around 6:45 a.m.

At first, Jimmy Davison said thought a tree had fallen on his house. But then, he realized that the sound came from his neighbor's house across the street.

"We ran outside and the whole house was ablaze, the whole house already and it was gone within 15 minutes," Davison said.

He said the house's elderly homeowners were not there at the time of the fire. Their son was home, though, and that is who investigators are searching for, Davison said.

He and others looked on in horror as firefighters worked to get the blaze under control.

"It was a nightmare," Davison said. "It was like waking up to Armageddon . . . pretty scary stuff."  

Officials have not specified who they are searching for amid the rubble. They worked late into the night, sifting through the rubble for any signs of the missing person.

Neighbors told WJZ that the houses on the street are powered by gas.