Reports came in about a gas smell around 7:30 p.m. in the Tacony neighborhood and the fire department and employees from the Philadelphia Gas Works responded to the scene.

When they got to the scene, they discovered that there was a water main and gas main break. The PGW worked to shut off the gas, but the gas main exploded and a fireball shot 50 feet in the air.

An employee with PGW was killed and three more employees were injured and they required treatment at a burn center. The hospital is also treating a firefighter that was injured in the blast. The gas was shut off and was eventually extinguished by 11:00 p.m.

Our thoughts are with the friends and family of the victims in the blast.