LEBANON, Ohio --
Fire crews were sent Tuesday night to a Lebanon apartment complex after reports of an explosion and fire.
The explosion and fire were reported about 9 p.m. at Steeplechase Apartments in the 800 block of Franklin Road.
Witnesses said they heard one loud explosion and then saw flames shooting 40 to 50 feet in the air. One witness said it sounded like a large bus drove through the building.
The building was gutted by the flames. Firefighters said 10 units were heavily damaged or destroyed.
Emergency helicopters were sent to the fire scene and took two patients to Miami Valley Hospital with severe burns. Five others were treated at the scene.
A resident said a woman and her 13-year-old daughter lived in the unit where the explosion happened.
The resident said crews had been working on the furnace all week.
Officials closed state Route 123 at Hart Road while firefighters battled the blaze.
All residents displaced by the fire were taken to the Turtlecreek Fire Department for temporary shelter. The Red Cross is assisting a dozen people with shelter, but officials said the number displaced is likely closer to 30.
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