Rescue services at the Houston explosion site, January 24, 2020. - Mark Felix / AFP

In the United States, a powerful industrial warehouse explosion killed at least two people early this Friday in Houston, Texas. The accident caused a lot of damage in the vicinity, announced the local authorities.

"We have confirmed deaths in this case, at least two confirmed deaths," police chief Art Acevedo told reporters. "The Houston police have opened a criminal investigation," he said.

"We thought it was thunder, but it was not raining"

Witnesses emphasized the force of the blast. "We heard a very strong explosion this morning, we thought it was thunder but we looked outside and it was not raining," said AFP Dina Lopez. "We started to hear ambulances and the police." The explosion occurred at around 4:15 a.m. local time in a warehouse in the northwest of the city, causing large clouds of smoke and extensive damage. "It must have been 04:00 in the morning and suddenly we heard a big boom (...) the window of our house shattered," said Adrian, 15.

HFD Hazmat responding to the area near 4500 block of Gessner. Firefighters responding to reports of an explosion. One person has been transported to the hospital from that area. @FireChiefofHFD

- Houston Fire Dept (@HoustonFire) January 24, 2020

A surveillance camera captured the strong explosion. We see a ball of fire rising in the air. The causes of the detonation were currently unknown. "We will let you know the cause of the explosion as soon as we have concrete information," said Samuel Pena, Houston fire chief, on Twitter. He added that no evacuation order had been given and that there was currently no indication of any air pollution.

  • World
  • Houston
  • United States
  • Explosion