A St. Louis County preliminary investigation points to a natural gas incident as the likely cause of the explosion that ripped through a north St. Louis County neighborhood on Monday.
"There's no criminal offense that happened here," said St. Louis County Police Chief Kenneth Gregory in a Tuesday evening press conference. "I know you probably heard on social media — meth labs, things of that sort. But there was nothing like that [investigators] determined."
Gregory said investigators are working with Spire to confirm the cause of the explosion, though the utility previously reported that none of its infrastructure was damaged in the blast. Dozens of Spire trucks were dispatched to the community near Black Jack following the explosion.
Gregory added that the case is not being treated as criminal.
Monday's blast destroyed five homes, damaged more than two dozen others and injured five people. Eighteen-year-old Dontea Anthony Jr. remains hospitalized in critical condition. Two other residents who were injured have since been released.
Gregory said investigations into the explosion are ongoing, but it is safe for residents to return to the area.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
