LEXINGTON, Mo. — Hours after the explosion that killed one child, crews were still working in Lexington, Missouri.
The incident left the community shaken — both physically and mentally.
On Thursday morning, officials in Lexington provided an update on the investigation into what went wrong Wednesday night. You can watch their news conference in the video player below.
On Thursday afternoon, the National Transportation Safety Board said it would send a crew to join the investigation as well.
The NTSB is investigating an April 9 natural gas fueled explosion at a residence in Lexington, Missouri.
— NTSB Newsroom (@NTSB_Newsroom) April 10, 2025
The Summers family lives less than a block from where the explosion happened. They say all their windows were blown out.
They saw everything.
“It was just terrible,” said neighbor Ruth Summers. “Flames were everywhere — in three different houses.”
According to Maria Antonia, the public information officer designated for the incident, around 4:15 p.m. Wednesday, a fiber optic company hit a gas line. Around 7:45 p.m., a house on 18th Street exploded.
One man was life-flighted to Research Medical Center in Kansas City with critical burns. One child was taken to Children’s Mercy, and another child was killed.
At the house where the explosion occurred, a child’s ball still sits outside.
Neighbors say they saw a kid running down the street, asking for help.
“There was a group of people standing there, and they yelled for blankets. Then a neighbor here got blankets. They took them down and covered her up,” said Travis Summers.
Even from seven blocks away, neighbors like Antonia also felt the impact from the explosion. “The building shook. I thought, ‘Oh gosh, something’s terrible — maybe I need to get out of here.’”
According to her, Liberty Gas shut off service to the entire area until the situation can be assessed. There's a chance service will be restored Thursday morning.
“In the small town of Lexington, they say everyone will be touched,” Antonia added. “When something like this happens, everyone’s affected. Everyone feels a loss.”
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