Two people unaccounted for following explosion at Utah County home

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Rescue crews continued to search for two people Tuesday evening who were in a Saratoga Springs house when it exploded earlier in the afternoon.

A female homeowner and a Questar employee are still unaccounted for at this point, said Utah County Sheriff's Sgt. Spencer Cannon.

The 4 p.m. explosion caused walls of the house to crumble. Force from the blast also pushed furniture, appliances and roofing tiles across the lawn and onto nearby homes.

The southeast corner of the home on Badger Lane is all that remains.

A contractor working in the area struck a natural gas line earlier that afternoon and Questar crews had responded to fix the plastic pipe, evacuate the area and secure all the homes.

After the line was fixed, the employee and the homeowner went back into the house. The explosion occurred just minutes later.

Officials still don't know exactly what caused the explosion.

"It felt like a bomb," said Kevin Barningham, who was working on a home under construction nearby. He said he was pushed back against his trailer by the force of the explosion.

A fire quickly broke out and enveloped the home, sending a plume of black smoke into the sky over the Utah County city.