House Explodes In Baltimore County, Man Hospitalized: Reports

ESSEX, MD — A house exploded Saturday evening in Essex, officials said. The explosion collapsed and destroyed the single-family home, photos show.

WBAL reported that a man was hospitalized with burn injuries, but officials don't know if he was a home occupant or a bystander.

The man is expected to survive, fire Lt. Twana Allen told The Associated Press.

"We can't confirm if he was in the home or outside of the home. We do know originally, we had no injuries and then someone presented themselves to first responders on scene with injuries," Baltimore County Fire Department Bureau Chief Travis Francis told 11 News. "He was immediately treated by our EMS crews and transported to the hospital."

The AP reported that two nearby homes suffered moderate damage from the ensuing fire, which was extinguished by Sunday morning.

FOX 45 said crews were called to the unit block of Crafton Road just after 11 p.m.

The cause of the explosion is still under investigation.

Officials are investigating multiple reports of a foul smell in the area before the explosion, WJZ reported.

The two-alarm blaze drew Baltimore Gas and Electric, hazardous materials units and fire investigators to the scene.

"We believe [because of] the time of night, there weren't people out on the streets, kids playing in the neighborhood, etc. Those are some fortunate facts, but it's still very unfortunate what took place here in this community. They're not going to forget this," Francis said, according to WJZ.

This map shows the area where reports said the explosion happened.