OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Fire officials say an explosion that leveled an Omaha house and killed one person was an accident.
Property inspector Clara Bender died at a hospital following the Monday afternoon blast that also heavily damaged four adjacent homes and injured two other people.
In a report released Wednesday, interim Omaha Fire Chief Dan Olsen says the gas started flowing into the house on Saturday after people moving a clothes dryer didn't properly shut off a natural gas line to the appliance.
Authorities say the movers reported the smell of gas to the tenant, who called Bender's cellphone and left a message to report the gas smell. Officials say it's not known whether Bender received the message before she entered the house on Monday.
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