ST. LOUIS COUNTY — Investigators have ruled out criminal behavior in the explosion that destroyed five houses and damaged almost two dozen others in a subdivision near Black Jack, police said Tuesday evening.
“It’s likely a natural gas explosion,†St. Louis County Police Chief Col. Kenneth Gregory said at a news conference. “There’s still more work to be done to determine that for sure.â€
Gregory rejected rumors that the house was a meth lab. He said investigators with the regional bomb and arson squad also ruled out fireworks as a cause.
He also said electric power had been restored to the neighborhood and it was safe for residents to return to the area — though authorities have cautioned that houses marked with red tags are not safe to enter.
Gregory said it could take a few months to determine what exactly happened.
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An 18-year-old man in one of the homes was seriously injured.
Spire, the area’s natural gas utility, on Wednesday issued a statement saying that its investigation had so far identified no issues with Spire’s system. That includes the gas lines leading up to the homes impacted on Evan Aire Drive, the company said.
The Spire statement also said there had been no recent calls to 811 Missouri One Call that would indicate any digging in the area. The company also said it had not received any calls from the immediate area to report the smell of gas.
A Spire spokesman on Tuesday said he couldn’t speak to whether there were leaks inside the homes.
John Mathews, an American Red Cross disaster specialist, said the organization had served meals to about 30 people as of Tuesday night. At least one person was planning to stay overnight at the organization’s shelter at a nearby church.
See previous story: After explosion, cleanup starts slowly in St. Louis County subdivision
Smoke rises from the smoldering remains of homes that were destroyed by a house that exploded on Evan Aire Drive on Monday, Aug. 25, 2025.
