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Two Killed In Manchester, NH House Explosion

MANCHESTER, NH (CBS) - Two people are dead after a house exploded in Manchester, New Hampshire Monday afternoon.

Firefighters say they found the two people on the first floor of the split-level home on Mooresville Road.

The explosion is under investigation, but firefighters say natural gas has been ruled out as the cause. "There's no natural gas in the building," said Manchester Fire Chief James Burkush. "So other than that we are going to look at all the other possibilities."

"You can see the whole building was engulfed in smoke," a neighbor who heard the blast tells WBZ-TV. "When I came to the front, the building was leaning in at the bottom, and there was flames coming out from the bottom of the building.

Firefighters have not identified the victims. "The victims are in a position where we can not make an easy identification," NH Deputy Fire Marshal Rob Farley said.

Family members say the husband and wife who lived in the home were supposed to be out of town but they are not sure if they ever left.

Manchester explosion
Two people were killed in an explosion in this house in Manchester, NH March 24. (WBZ-TV)

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