MINNEAPOLIS — The body of a second victim was found Friday in the ruins of a Minneapolis apartment building, increasing the death toll from the explosion and fire that gutted the building.
The Wednesday morning fire also injured 14 people.
The body of the second victim was turned over to the medical examiner, the Fire Department said in a statement. The body of the first victim was found Thursday. Authorities have not released the identities of either.
The demolition of the building was completed Friday, and fire officials said they believe everyone who was in the building at the time of the fire has been accounted for.
Fire Chief John Fruetel said an investigation into the cause of the explosion and subsequent fire was ongoing. Investigators are focusing on a gas explosion as a possible cause due to the nature of the debris field and because some witnesses spoke of an odor, he said Thursday.
Becca Virden, a spokeswoman for CenterPoint Energy, said there were no natural gas leaks in the system and that the utility received no reports of a suspicious odor before the blast.
Fire officials say they received a call about an explosion about 8:15 a.m. Wednesday, and within minutes a fire raged through the three-story building. In sub-zero temperatures, paramedics responded to find victims on the ground, some with injuries that suggested they may have fallen multiple stories.