Teams of Fire & Explosive Investigators from MCFRS, ATF & MDState Fire Marshal on scene Ashley Dr sifting through debris of house explosion pic.twitter.com/N3gtLFpkwr
— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) March 18, 2017
WASHINGTON —Montgomery County Fire Chief Scott Goldstein said the remains of an adult and a pet were found in the wreckage of the home explosion in Rockville, Maryland.
Officials were unable to confirm whether or not the remains belonged to the owner, who has not been accounted for since the explosion early Friday.
Goldstein said investigators have been in touch with a relative of the homeowner.
Meanwhile, investigators are still searching for clues about what happened and why. The one-story brick home in the 11400 block of Ashley Drive was in foreclosure and had been set to go up for auction hours before it blew up.
The explosion happened at around 1 a.m. Friday, damaging 10 other homes and nine cars in the area.
There has been unauthorized gas use in the home since December 2016, Goldstein said, but it is not yet known whether that was the cause of the explosion.
He said it was too soon to say whether or not the incident was accidental or intentional.
Investigators said Saturday morning that they were looking for the home’s owner, who had been seen at the home earlier in the week but not in the few days leading up to the explosion.
Montgomery County police said human remains were discovered in the basement at around noon Saturday.
Police said the victim’s body has been transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore, which will determine the person’s identity and the cause and manner of death.
