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Fire chief: Omaha house explosion that killed 1 was accident

Omaha Fire and RescueOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Fire officials say an explosion that leveled an Omaha house and killed one person was an accident. Property inspector Clara Bender died at a hospital following the Monday afternoon blast that also heavily damaged four adjacent homes and injured two other people.

Interim Omaha Fire Chief Dan Olsen says the gas started flowing into the house on Saturday after people moving a clothes dryer didn’t properly shut off a natural gas line.

In a report released Wednesday, authorities say the movers reported the smell of gas to the tenant, who called Bender’s cellphone and left a message to report the gas smell. Officials say it’s not known whether Bender received the message before she entered the house on Monday.

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