Indy Residents Describe Blast, Fire That Killed 2 A massive explosion sparked a huge fire and killed two people in an Indianapolis neighborhood where about three dozen homes were damaged or destroyed, authorities said Sunday. The powerful nighttime blast shattered windows, crumpled walls and could be felt at least three miles away. Aerial photographs of the once-tidy neighborhood of one- and two-story homes showed at least two had been reduced to blackened pits of debris. Other homes had sections gutted by fire or holes in their roofs or exterior walls. Siding dangled from the outside of other homes, and crumpled garage doors hung from houses nearby. Pieces of wood and other building materials littered the street and surrounding properties. It wasn't clear what caused the blast about 11 p.m. Firefighters responding to a call about a single house fire were surprised by a much bigger blaze. The fire centered on four homes, two that were leveled and two others that only had the frames standing by the time the flames were extinguished, Deputy Chief Kenny Bacon said. The damage extended two blocks in every direction, he said, and fire officials didn't initially realize the extent of it in the darkness. Mark Lotter, a spokesman for the mayor, said later Sunday that 27 homes were uninhabitable, and eight had significant damage. Residents described a loud boom that shook their homes, blew out windows and collapsed ceilings. They rushed outside to find a chaotic scene with flames rising against the Indianapolis skyline to the north. Eric McClellan said he ran to the scene of the explosion and saw homes flat or nearly so. Once the flames were out, firefighters went through the rubble and damaged homes one at a time in case people had been left behind, Fire Lt. Bonnie Hensley said. They used search lights until dawn as they peered into the ruined buildings. Along with the two people killed, seven people were taken to a hospital with injuries, Bacon said. Everyone else was accounted for, he said. Four of the seven who were injured minor injuries, fire officials said. They did not provide details on the others or identify those killed. An investigation was underway, said Bacon, who would not rule a gas leak in or out. Dan Considine, a spokesman for Citizens Energy, said people usually smell gas when there is a leak, but the utility had not received any calls from people smelling gas in that area. Dan Able, a 58-year-old state employee who lives across the street from the two homes that exploded, said his first thought was that a plane had hit his house. The blast was "a sound I've never heard before, it was so loud," he said. His windows blew out and a bedroom ceiling collapsed on his wife, Jan. He pulled her out, and they went outside. "Both houses across the street were on fire, basically, just rubble on fire," he said.