Two people have been critically injured after a gas explosion at a house in Ohio.
Firefighters believe the blast may have been triggered by scrap merchants stripping metal from the property in Columbus.
Neighbours said the explosion shook their homes, and it was apparently heard by people living several miles away.
Dramatic footage posted on social media showed rescue workers running to the scene and dragging people from the rubble.
The building was supposed to be empty but there had been issues with people breaking in, according to the Columbus Fire Department.
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The explosion was reported at about 8.15am on Friday.
Witnesses said they saw a man and woman in the debris who both had burned clothes and appeared to be injured.
Columbus fire chief Steve Martin said two people were taken to hospital in critical condition with burns and broken bones.
Bonnie Evans, who was in a nearby chapel at the time of the blast, said: "It was scary. And I fell down on the floor. I didn't want everything to fall on me."
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