Maryland
Maryland house leveled after apparent blast, at least 1 person found dead – WTOP News
At least one person has died after an apparent explosion leveled a house in Bel Air, Maryland, on Sunday, fire officials said.
BEL AIR, Md. (AP) — At least one person died and two were injured after after a Maryland house exploded Sunday amid reports of a possible gas leak, fire officials said.
Firefighters were called to the scene in Bel Air, northeast of Baltimore, around 6:40 a.m. for a report of a gas leak and an outdoor odor of gas, said Oliver Alkire, a master deputy with the State Fire Marshal’s Office. Alkire said that as firefighters were approaching, they began receiving calls that the house had exploded. First responders pronounced a victim dead at the scene.
He said that a home next door to the explosion was heavily damaged, and a woman in that house was treated for her injuries on the scene. At least one utility worker on the scene was also injured. Two utility workers were in the area to work on a reported electrical issue, but authorities didn’t immediately say if that was related to the explosion.
Investigators are working to determine how many houses were damaged and how far the blast radius was. Firefighters were continuing to search the debris for other possible victims of the blast in Bel Air. Authorities said there’s no ongoing threat to the public.
The blast leveled the home. A photo posted by county officials showed a number of firefighters around the rubble of one home with another damaged home in the background. Charred pieces of wood were heaped on the property, and insulation and splintered wood spilled out into the street.
Alkire said the house that blew up was for sale, but it wasn’t clear if it was still occupied.
More than 60 first responders came to the scene from multiple agencies. The state fire marshal, sheriff and federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms were assisting with the probe, as is standard procedure.
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A Republican-backed proposal to tighten oversight of nonprofits that receive taxpayer funding is moving forward in Annapolis, marking what supporters describe as a rare win for House Republicans.
The measure comes as recent estimates show about 9,000 Maryland nonprofits are listed as noncompliant with the state, despite many of them still receiving taxpayer dollars.
The proposal is not final. It still must pass the Senate before it can reach the governor’s desk.
David Williams of the Taxpayers Protection Alliance joined the broadcast to weigh in on the measure.
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The Water Lantern Festival is underway at Maryland’s National Harbor, where hundreds of people turned out Friday to participate in the opening event.
(WTOP/Kyle Cooper)
WTOP/Kyle Cooper
(WTOP/Kyle Cooper)
WTOP/Kyle Cooper
(WTOP/Kyle Cooper)
WTOP/Kyle Cooper
Hundreds of people took part in the first night of a weekend Water Lantern Festival at National Harbor in Maryland.
According to organizers, the festival is a community-centered experience where you can decorate a floating paper lantern with personal messages of love, hope, remembrance or intention, and release them onto the water.
Jack Hawkins came all the way from Richmond, Virginia, to take part in the event.
“You’re with friends, family and loved ones. You can put your dreams and hopes and everything in the lantern and, hopefully, they come true,” he said.
Hawkins wrote a special wish for his children on his lantern which read, “The kids to have a bright and meaningful life with all the happiness in the world.”
A woman named Tee said the lantern release represents hope for her. “Life has been hard the last couple of months, and just the thought of being able to write it down and watch it flow away kind of connected with me,” she said.
One of the lanterns quoted scripture from the book of Psalms: “God is with her, she will not fail.”
Alyssa Bailey expressed gratitude on her lantern.
“I actually just served a mission for my church and so I wrote about how Jesus loves me and how he cares for me and loves other people,” she said.
Jessica Hawkins sees the event as a way to express what’s inside.
“I like the idea of getting your hopes and wants out, and putting it out in the world and watching what the future brings from there,” she told WTOP.
The festival runs through the weekend, with water lanterns launched each night at about 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are available online.
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