Fire
crews were searching for possible victims in the debris at the private
school, officials said. Minnehaha Academy said all of its summer-program
students and staff were accounted for and safe. An individual believed
to be missing was later found outside the area, officials said.
Three
of the hospitalized were in critical condition and four were in serious
condition, said Dr. James Miner of Hennepin County Medical Center. All
are adults. The patients had fractures and head injuries, but no burns,
he told reporters.
The Minneapolis Fire Department initially said one person was killed. But it later tweeted the death was not confirmed.
Authorities
said early indications are the blast may have been caused by a ruptured
gas line. The circumstances were not immediately known.
Becca
Virden, a spokeswoman for CenterPoint Energy, said crews were called to
the area of a school boiler room to assist first responders and make
the area safe.
The Christian school said
there was a gas leak and explosion at its multistory Upper School,
which houses grades 9-12. The academy has about 825 students in grades
Pre-K through 12, housed on two campuses. The 2017-18 school year is set
to begin August 23.
"I would
imagine it would have been a lot more significant if it was (during)
school time," Assistant Fire Chief Bryan Tyner said. "It is a good thing
that it's the summer time and probably limited the amount of people
that were in the building."
Video broadcast by CNN affiliate WCCO showed smoke and flames rising from the debris.
Jack
Mahler was warming up for a soccer practice nearby when he heard two
sprinting men yelling "gas!" and "get out!" Shortly after, there was a
huge explosion that knocked him off his feet, he told WCCO, "and then it
was just kinda chaos from there."
Three people on the roof of the school needed assistance getting down, officials said.
John
Barron, who lives across the street from the academy, told the station
that the blast shook his windows and startled his dogs.
The private academy has about 825 students in grades Pre-K through 12.
"I
saw that where the building used to be one continuous building, (it)
now had a gap," he said. "I could see sunlight all the way through to
the other side."
Gov. Mark Dayton
pledged resources for first responders. "I thank the many firefighters,
paramedics, and law enforcement officers who rushed to the scene this
morning, and who are working still to ensure the safety of our children,
adults, friends, and neighbors," he said in a statement.
This story has been updated to reflect the latest information from fire officials.
