Couple Identified As Two Victims Of Missouri House Explosion. Gas Leak Confirmed

The couple killed when their home near Excelsior Springs was destroyed in an explosion have been identified, a spokeswoman for the Clay County Sheriff's Office said Monday.

The bodies of Oliver W. Campbell, 70, and Katherine A. Campbell, 65, were found midday Friday in the rubble of their home in the 14400 block of Kimberly Drive in rural Clay County, said Sarah Boyd of the Clay County Sheriff's Office. The couple's dead dog was also found at the scene of the explosion.

The Missouri State Fire Marshal's office, which is investigating the explosion, also confirmed Monday that there was a gas leak.

“Due to the force of the explosion and the extent of the damage to the structure, no cause has been determined as to the source of the gas leak or ignition source,” the fire department said in a statement released by Boyd. “The Missouri Division of Fire Safety has classified the explosion as undetermined.”

The full incident report will take up to 30 days to be available.

The explosion happened around 4:40 a.m. Friday morning. People called the sheriff's office to report that their neighbor's house had exploded. The blast was felt for miles around.

Police officers who arrived at the scene said the house was completely flattened by the explosion and was on fire. Boyd said the blast also damaged neighboring homes and opened some doors, but no neighbors were injured.

Because homes in the neighborhood use propane for heating and cooking, investigators were looking into whether a gas leak caused the explosion. Officials with the Missouri Propane Safety Commission responded to help investigate the explosion.