Explosion levels two homes, hurts 10 people

WILMINGTON, Del. -- A suspected gas explosion flattened two rowhouses Wednesday, injuring about 10 people, two of them seriously, authorities said.

A work crew was tearing up the sidewalk in front of the buildings before the blast, said John Rago, a spokesman for Mayor James Baker.

In addition to destroying the two-story rowhouses, the explosion damaged three buildings in the working-class neighborhood.

Firefighters picked through the rubble before declaring everyone had been accounted for.

"I believe there was some knowledge of the gas leak prior to the explosion," police chief Michael Szczerba said.

Utility crews were working to shut off gas and electricity service to about 3,000 people in a several-block area, Rago said.

"The building literally shook. We looked out the back window and saw that the house was down," said Lolita Lopez, director of a medical clinic a block away.

Clinic workers rushed out with crash carts and medical supplies to treat the injured, who were suffering from burns and cuts.

"There was a lot of blood," Lopez said.