Six people were pulled alive from the rubble of a Missouri home Saturday morning after an unexplained explosion crippled the home, authorities said.
All six, who were reportedly in the Jefferson City home when it exploded, were taken to University Hospital in Columbia, Missouri, with moderate to serious injuries, the Jefferson City Fire Department said in a statement.
Some of the six were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation, the department said. Two of them were in such bad condition that they were taken by helicopter for a quicker trip to the University Hospital trauma center.
Eric Hoy, chief of emergency medical services for underlying Cole County, said half of the patients required life-saving attention.
“Three of them were in critical condition and required extensive life support procedures,” he told NBC affiliate KOMU from Columbia.
Hospital representatives did not immediately respond to a request for an update on the patients Saturday evening. Their genders and ages were not available.
According to the city fire department, first responders were called to the home in a neighborhood near the Missouri River to a report of an explosion at the home at 2:44 a.m. They soon discovered that the house had collapsed, the report said.
Images of the home in daylight showed the structure as twisted, mangled and partially nearly flattened on snow-covered ground.
The Jefferson City Fire Department’s Special Operations Rescue Team was called in to help pull victims from the rubble, the report said.
“Rescue operations were particularly challenging due to the extensive structural collapse and significant debris,” the fire department said in a statement.
Jake Holee, assistant chief and spokesman for the Jefferson City Fire Department, said the department was fortunate to have the right equipment on hand, along with the help of 37 personnel on scene.
“We are very grateful that we have that equipment and that we spend the time training,” he told KOMU.
Rescuers had to tunnel through multiple layers of rubble to free at least one of the six, the department said.
In total, it took more than three hours to get all six out, as well as rescue two pets that were turned over to animal control, according to the department.
The cause of the explosion was under investigation.
Jefferson, the state capital, is about 130 miles west of St. Louis.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
