WYATT, Mo. — At least one person was killed Monday when a house exploded in southeast Missouri and a neighboring home erupted in flames, authorities said.
Mississippi County Coroner Terry Parker said the victim died at a Cape Girardeau hospital, KFVS-TV reported. The victim’s name wasn’t immediately released.
According to the Mississippi County Sheriff’s Office, 10 people were injured in the explosion in the town of Wyatt. Firefighters and ambulances from several surrounding communities rushed to the scene as a second home caught on fire.
A faulty water heater may be to blame, Charleston Department of Public Safety Chief Robert Hearnes said.
The injured included adults and children as young as 6 months old, Hearnes said. The State Fire Marshal was called in to investigate.
Wyatt is a town of about 280 people located about 130 miles (210 kilometers) south of St. Louis.