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.

Six people were pulled alive from the rubble of a Missouri home Saturday morning after an unexplained explosion mangled the residence, authorities said.

All six, said to have been inside the home in Jefferson City when it exploded, were taken to University Hospital in Columbia, Missouri, with moderate to severe injuries, the Jefferson City Fire Department said in a statement.

Some of the six were treated at the location for smoke inhalation, the department said. Two of them were in bad enough shape that they were taken by helicopter for a faster trip to University Hospital trauma center.

Eric Hoy, emergency medical services chief for underlying Cole County, said half the patients required life-saving attention.

“Three of them were in critical condition and required extensive life support procedures,” he told NBC affiliate KOMU of Columbia.

Representatives of the hospital did not immediately respond to a request for an update on the patients Saturday nights. Their genders and ages were unavailable.

First responders were called to the home in a neighborhood near the Missouri River to check out a 2:44 a.m. report of an explosion at the residence, according to the city fire department. They soon discovered the home had collapsed, it said.

Footage of the residence in the daylight depicted the structure as twisted, mangled and, in parts, nearly flattened on snow-covered ground.

The Jefferson City Fire Department’s Special Operations Rescue Team was enlisted to help pull victims from the rubble, it said.

“Rescue operations were particularly challenging due to the extensive structural collapse and significant debris,” the fire department said in its statement.

Jake Holee, Jefferson City Fire Department assistant chief and spokesperson, said the agency was lucky to have the right equipment on hand, along with the help of 37 personnel at the scene.

“We’re real thankful we have that equipment, and we spend the time training,” he told KOMU.

Rescuers had to tunnel through multiple layers of debris to pull out at least one of the six, the department said.

In all it took more than three hours to get all six out, as well as to rescue two pets that were turned over to animal control authorities, according to the department.

The cause of the explosion was under investigation.

Jefferson, the state capital, is about 133 miles west of St. Louis.

Arkansas defensive lineman Landon Jackson suffered what appears to be a very serious injury in Saturday’s season finale against Missouri. The Razorbacks star went down with a little more than a minute remaining in the first half and stayed on the field for several moments as players from both schools gathered around and got on their knees.

Eventually, a stretcher made its way out on the field as Jackson was carted off and taken back to the locker room for further evaluation. We’ll hope for the best as we await more word on his status ahead of the second half.

A senior, Jackson was playing in potentially his final college game. He has been one of the key players for Arkansas’ defense this season with 44 tackles (10 for loss), 6.5 sacks, three passes defended and a forced fumble.

The ESPN broadcast reported that there is a hospital directly across the street from the stadium in Columbia. It’s unclear at this time whether Jackson will need to be taken there.

This story will be updated.