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Two people died early Sunday morning in a suspected house explosion in Harford County, Maryland, northeast of Baltimore, officials said in a post Sunday evening.

At a press conference on Sunday it was initially said that one person had been killed and two others injured.

The second victim, who was later found under the rubble, was pronounced dead, Harford County Fire and Rescue Department said on X..

Firefighters were initially called to a gas leak that occurred around 6:42 a.m. ET outside the home on Arthurs Woods Drive in Bel Air, where authorities found a dead victim, Oliver Alkire of the Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office said during a news conference Sunday.

“However, as they approached the scene, they received several more calls saying that … this gas leak had turned into a … house explosion,” Alkire said. The explosion left at least 12 families homeless, authorities say.

According to Alkire, there was a smell of gas in the area and the Baltimore Gas and Electric Company was informed.

The gas and electricity company’s contract workers who were on site at the time of the explosion were initially called to a nearby area to fix another problem that was experiencing electricity issues at the time of the incident, he said.

According to authorities, it is unclear whether the explosion in the house for sale was intentional or accidental.

“We are currently investigating the crime scene intensively,” said Alkire.

“Although the victim has yet to be positively identified by the coroner’s office, investigators believe he is the 73-year-old owner of the home,” Maryland State Fire Marshal X said of the second victim.

A woman from the neighboring house was in her house during the explosion and was injured but was treated, Alkire said.

“That was the house that suffered the most damage. However, due to the force of the explosion, several buildings will be affected,” Alkire said.

An employee of the Baltimore Gas and Electric Company was also injured, but the severity of his injuries was unclear.

Jeffrey Sexton, a spokesman for the Harford County Fire and Rescue Department, said the explosion was “one of the most violent explosions” he had ever seen.

Officials would conduct a joint investigation with special forces, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and local authorities, Alkire said.

Authorities said they were conducting search and rescue operations and working to determine the extent of the explosion.

This story has been updated with additional information.