Richmond Hill residents anxious for answers into what caused explosion

Many displaced residents staying in hotels

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  Resident Tony Burnett and his wife have crammed all of their belongings into his car and are staying in a hotel.

Posted: 11/14/2012
Last Updated: 192 days ago

INDIANAPOLIS -  

Residents from the Richmond Hill neighborhood on Indianapolis' south side are anxious for answers into what caused a deadly explosion late Saturday at a home in the subdivision.

The explosion happened about 11:10 p.m. in the 8400 block of Fieldfare Way, near Sherman Drive between County Line Road and Stop 11 Road, killing two people and displacing 200 others from their homes.

As each day passes, residents are growing restless because they still don't know when they'll be able to go home, and if they'll even have a home left to return to. 

Management at the Quality Inn in Southport said at least 10 displaced families are staying there and they're expecting more families to arrive soon.

Resident Tony Burnett and his wife have crammed all of their belongings into his car and are staying in a hotel.

"The hardest part of this is not having stability," Burnett said.

Authorities say of the 29 homes that left standing after the blast, at least 10 will likely have to be torn down.

The cause of the explosion remained under investigation.

Citizens Energy Group officials said inspectors found no problems with gas lines in the neighborhood or the gas lines running to individual houses, but that doesn't mean there were no gas issues inside the homes.

Gary Coons, chief of the Indianapolis Department of Homeland Security, confirmed Tuesday that the investigation was focused on natural gas.

Copyright 2012 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


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