Four people were pronounced dead after two explosions at a small town in northeast Nebraska.
At around 3 am on Thursday, residents of Laurel – a Nebraska town with a population of just over 1,000 – woke up to two loud explosions.
According to the preliminary reports, two houses burst into flames and exploded, killing four people in the process. The two properties were reportedly located on Elm Street and were just blocks apart from each other.
As of this writing, foul play is suspected, and the police believe the houses were set on fire.
Following the horrific incident in the otherwise quiet town, the police launched a manhunt for the possible suspect.
Meanwhile, several witnesses revealed they had heard gunshots amid the mayhem.
After the first responders arrived at the first home, one person was found dead inside the building. The second call led them to a home just blocks away from the first one. There, the first responders came across three bodies.
Colonel John Baldock of the Nebraska State Patrol has since revealed that “foul play” is suspected in all four deaths. The NSP also confirmed that the possible suspect remains at large as the manhunt continues.
As of this writing, it remains unclear what the motive for the attacks could be and the case remains under investigation.
“Fire investigators believe that accelerants may have been used in both of these fires. They also believe anyone who was inside the homes at this time may have been burned,” Baldock said.
“Therefore it is possible that our suspect, or suspects received burn injuries during these incidents.”
He added: “We have two fires with deceased people three blocks apart it would be a stretch to say there is no connection but it is still very early in the investigation.
“We are not categorizing it as anything at this point, we have multiple crime scenes with four dead.”
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