A home explosion in Missouri over Thanksgiving weekend left a residence in rubble and six people injured, including three critically, fire officials said.

According to the Jefferson City Fire Department, fire and other emergency personnel responded to a reported house explosion in eastern Jefferson City early Saturday. The blast occurred at about 2:44 a.m., local time, and authorities initially reported that multiple victims were involved.

Fire officials later determined that there were six people inside the residence at the time of the explosion. After arriving at the scene, the fire department said emergency responders immediately discovered “multiple victims with injuries ranging from moderate to severe.”

Emergency responders provided some of the victims with “critical care interventions” at the scene, including advanced airway procedures and the administration of CyanoKits — which is used to treat known or suspected cyanide poisoning, according to the fire department.

“Due to the extent of injuries, some patients required multiple EMS resources to provide stabilizing care during transport,” the fire department added.

The fire department said two of the victims were ultimately transported to Jefferson City Airport, where they were flown to University Hospital in Columbia. The four remaining victims were transported by ground to University Hospital.

Jefferson City Fire Chief Matt Schofield said three of the victims suffered critical injuries, the Jefferson City News Tribune reported. The cause of the explosion remains under investigation.

The fire department said Jefferson City Public Works also assisted at the scene by deploying an excavator for debris removal throughout the day.

‘Extensive structural collapse and significant debris’

Images shared by authorities at around 6 a.m. Saturday showed the residence almost destroyed with collapsed wooden structures and home appliances scattered across the surrounding area. Footage from local television stations further showed the severe damage, with parts of the home nearly flattened, as snow fell on the rubble.

The explosion, which was described as a fireball, according to the Jefferson City News Tribune, was felt by residents for miles. The newspaper reported that local emergency personnel and utility workers remained at the scene on Saturday to clear remaining smoke and work on debris removal.

The Jefferson City Fire Department said rescue operations were “particularly challenging due to the extensive structural collapse and significant debris,” and that it took several hours for the department’s Special Operations Rescue Team to remove all the victims from the debris.

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“The team had to carefully tunnel through layers of debris to reach the final occupant, who required intensive extrication,” according to the fire department.

All six victims were safely removed shortly before 6 a.m., the fire department said. Two pets inside the home were also rescued and were in the care of animal control.

The emergency responses involved eight units from the Jefferson City Fire Department in addition to several members of the city police department. The fire department said there were 37 fire and emergency personnel at the scene, as well as nine ambulances, and three medical helicopters that responded to the incident.