ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Crews have finished demolishing a home on Lake Avenue near Augustine Street after it exploded on Tuesday afternoon.
News10NBC sees an orange fence up on Wednesday morning where the house once stood, with some rubble covered in a white tarp. An excavator is still at the scene, and a sign warns about possible asbestos.
The explosion left wooden boards, roofing materials, and household items scattered around the area. Watch News10NBC TODAY now through 7 a.m. as we report live from the scene. Livestream the show here.
Latest on the investigation
The Rochester Fire Department could give an update later today on the investigation. Firefighters say they heard reports that people escaped the house, and police used K-9 units to search the rubble for hours. As of 5 p.m., the dogs hadn’t found anyone.
It could take weeks to learn the cause of the explosion. RFD Lt. Howard Villegas said the first calls came in around 12:20 p.m., and crews arrived to find the house’s walls buckled outward. Around 80 firefighters worked to put out the fire after the explosion.
Similar cases
News10NBC has covered three other house explosions in the past seven years. That includes an explosion on Stone Road in Greece in November of 2024, which left three family members hospitalized. Months after the explosion, a report found that a “steady flow of natural gas” escaped into the home after the front cover of the natural gas meter in the basement fell off.
In December of 2020, a home explosion on Noel Drive in Gates sent fire shooting into the air. No one was injured, and investigators later ruled the blast was accidental.
In August of 2019, a man died in a home explosion on Illinois Street in Rochester. Investigators determined that the explosion was intentional. Fire officials say the man tampered with his gas service after his home was foreclosed on.
The post Lake Avenue home explosion: What’s next and in-depth on similar cases appeared first on WHEC.com.
