Emergency personnel search the debris, Thursday, Aug. 11, 2022, in Evansville, Ind., as authorities work to determine the cause of a house explosion that killed three people and left another person hospitalized. The explosion the day before damaged 39 homes. (MaCabe Brown/Evansville Courier & Press via AP)
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EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) - Preliminary autopsy results released Monday for the three victims of a house explosion in a southern Indiana neighborhood show they died of blunt force trauma and compression asphyxia.
A married couple who lived at the center of the Wednesday explosion in Evansville, 43-year-old Charles Hite and 37-year-old Martina Hite, both died of blunt force trauma to their chests, and 29-year-old neighbor Jessica Teague died of compression asphyxia, the Vanderburgh County Coroner's Office said in a news release.
Final autopsy reports and toxicology are pending, Chief Deputy Coroner David Anson said in the news release.
The explosion injured a fourth person and damaged 39 homes, leaving 11 uninhabitable, authorities have said.
A statement Monday by the Evansville Fire Department said the investigation is still in its early stages and likely will be lengthy.
'œThe very slow methodical process of the investigation started this morning,'ť EFD Division Chief Mike Larson said in the release. 'œThe Indiana State Fire Marshal's Office is leading this investigation and the Evansville Fire Department is assisting. Several Insurance investigators have been in town and the Evansville Police Department is assisting with interviews as they are needed, along with site security,'ť
Suzanne Dabkowski, a spokeswoman for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said last week thast the agency can't speak to any possible causes of the explosion. Dabkowski said the ATF has explosive specialists and firearms investigators on-site in Evansville who were helping with the investigation.
Evansville authorities have declined to speculate whether natural gas or another issue is responsible for the explosion.
Evansville is along Indiana's border with Kentucky. The blast left debris that included wooden boards, window glass and insulation strewn over a 100-foot (30-meter) radius.
CenterPoint Energy, the local gas utility, has said it was working with fire officials and other agencies as the investigation continues.
Multiple agencies investigate the scene the morning after a house explosion in the 1000 block of North Weinbach Avenue in Evansville, Ind., Thursday, Aug. 11, 2022. (MaCabe Brown/Evansville Courier & Press via AP)
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Multiple agencies investigate the scene the morning after a house explosion in the 1000 block of North Weinbach Avenue in Evansville, Ind., Thursday, Aug. 11, 2022. (MaCabe Brown/Evansville Courier & Press via AP)
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Multiple agencies investigate the scene the morning after a house explosion in the 1000 block of North Weinbach Avenue in Evansville, Ind., Thursday, Aug. 11, 2022. (MaCabe Brown/Evansville Courier & Press via AP)
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Evansville Fire Department Chief Mike Connelly provides an update the morning after a house explosion in the 1000 block of North Weinbach Avenue in Evansville, Ind., Thursday, Aug. 11, 2022. (MaCabe Brown/Evansville Courier & Press via AP)
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Emergency personnel search the debris, Thursday, Aug. 11, 2022, in Evansville, Ind., as authorities work to determine the cause of a house explosion that killed three people and left another person hospitalized. The explosion the day before damaged 39 homes. (MaCabe Brown/Evansville Courier & Press via AP)
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An employee with the Evansville-Vanderburgh Building Commission, right, delivers news about the condition of properties to neighbors of the house explosion at 1010 North Weinbach Avenue in Evansville, Ind., Thursday, Aug. 11, 2022. (MaCabe Brown/Evansville Courier & Press via AP)
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Maddie Struble, right, packs her belongings with the help of friends and family after her home was deemed uninhabitable the morning after a house explosion in the 1000 block of North Weinbach Avenue in Evansville, Ind., Thursday, Aug. 11, 2022. (MaCabe Brown/Evansville Courier & Press via AP)
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Elder Richard Gregg, left, gets information from Evansville-Vanderburgh Building Commission's Eric Wade, right, after his church Community of Christ on Hercules Avenue was tagged "unsafe" the morning after a house explosion in the 1000 block of North Weinbach Avenue in Evansville, Ind., Thursday, Aug. 11, 2022. (MaCabe Brown/Evansville Courier & Press via AP)
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David Price, left, and his next-door neighbor Patty Hite watch as firefighters walk through the debris after a house explosion at 1010 N. Weinbach Ave., in Evansville, Ind., Wednesday night, Aug. 10, 2022. Price mentioned he started smelling gas in the air over a month ago.
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Emergency personnel search the debris, Thursday, Aug. 11, 2022, in Evansville, Ind., as authorities work to determine the cause of a house explosion that killed three people and left another person hospitalized. The explosion the day before damaged 39 homes. (MaCabe Brown/Evansville Courier & Press via AP)
The Associated Press
Emergency personnel search the debris, Thursday, Aug. 11, 2022, in Evansville, Ind., as authorities work to determine the cause of a house explosion that killed three people and left another person hospitalized. The explosion the day before damaged 39 homes. (MaCabe Brown/Evansville Courier & Press via AP)
The Associated Press
Emergency personnel search the debris, Thursday, Aug. 11, 2022, in Evansville, Ind., as authorities work to determine the cause of a house explosion that killed three people and left another person hospitalized. The explosion the day before damaged 39 homes. (MaCabe Brown/Evansville Courier & Press via AP)
The Associated Press
Emergency personnel search the debris, Thursday, Aug. 11, 2022, in Evansville, Ind., as authorities work to determine the cause of a house explosion that killed three people and left another person hospitalized. The explosion the day before damaged 39 homes. (MaCabe Brown/Evansville Courier & Press via AP)
The Associated Press
Debris hangs from a damaged home, Thursday, Aug. 11, 2022, in Evansville, Ind., as authorities work to determine the cause of a house explosion that killed three people and left another person hospitalized. The explosion the day before damaged 39 homes. (MaCabe Brown/Evansville Courier & Press via AP)
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