According to a report from CBS3, several explosions led to a massive fire at the Eagle Stream Townhouses in the Eagleville section of Lower Providence Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, on Thursday. Several townhomes were set ablaze, gutted, and reduced to rubble. Several families have also been displaced.
A coroner’s van was on scene, but it’s unclear if investigators have located any bodies in the rubble.
Police said a code enforcement officer responded to a residence on Cardin Place for a follow-up inspection, and a man had pulled a gun on the officer, who escaped to safety.
When police arrived, the man retreated back into his home and, shortly thereafter, large explosions emanated from the home and a fire erupted, leveling the two homes on either side. Other close neighbors were also evacuated, who then were told by officers to shelter in place for much of the afternoon as several law enforcement units remained on scene.
The fire was extinguished by 6 p.m. By 7 p.m., the coroner’s van arrived.
As for the man who lived next door, neighbors said they didn’t know him well, but he was “a very nice guy.”
This was not the first time officials had been to the property, according to police. The code enforcement officer who escaped was engaging in a follow-up visit to the property. He did not indicate the reason behind the visits, but according to neighbors, the homeowner may have been a hoarder.
RELATED
