Coatesville, PA – COATESVILLE – An explosion leveled a two-story single-family home Thursday at Walnut Street and Pennrose Lane.
According to the Coatesville Police Department, no one was inside the home when it exploded around 11:24 a.m in the 100 block of Pennrose Lane. Police said a family of four, including two young children, lived in the home.
Police said water, gas and electric crews were all working in the area prior to the explosion. It was not immediately clear what caused the incident, police said.
Little remained of the two story home. A small fire was quickly extinguished by city firefighters. No other homes appeared to be damaged.
A pickup truck was caught beneath the rubble, and the home’s front door was found across the street.
Lamont Anderson, a neighbor, said he was inside his home when he heard the explosion.
“I thought they were throwing bombs around out here, that was really scary,” Anderson said, noting that the house was no longer visible from the street corner. “It’s leveled, you can’t see it anymore.”
According to PECO spokesperson Cathy Engel Menendez, PECO crews were working on natural gas lines on Walnut Street prior to the explosion. The work was part of an onging effort to upgrade and perform preventative maintenance on existing natural gas lines in the area, Menendez said.
As a result of the explosion PECO shut off natural gas service to five households and electricity service to three customers, Menendez said.
Other neighbors said their homes shook after the explosion and that they were scared by not knowing what causes it.
“I thought it was an earthquake, or even terrorists. You never really know anymore,” one neighbor said.
Coatesville Police Lt. James Audette said city detectives were working with PECO officials and the Chester County Fire Marshals Office to determine the cause of the explosion.
No injuries were reported.
“We’re extremely fortunate that no one was inside the home at the time of the explosion and that no one in the area was hurt,” Audette said.
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Red Cross was responding to assist the displaced family with housing and financial assistance.