No injuries were reported following the 2 a.m. explosion in the Howard Hollow area of Chattaroy, about 80 miles southwest of Charleston near the Kentucky border, said Mingo County Emergency Services Operator Tim Dixon.
The cause of the blast remained unknown. Authorities were told a propane tank was at one of the homes, but ‘‘there’s not been one found,’’ said Chattaroy Fire Capt. Brandon Thacker. He described the scene as ‘‘like a bomb went off. Everything was on the ground.’’
Spokeswomen for the state Fire Marshal’s Office and the Mingo County Sheriff’s Department said they had no information to release.
Larry Cope, a member of the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witness, said an unoccupied home two doors up from his church was leveled.
‘‘It’s just a flat piece of ground,’’ Cope said. ‘‘There’s debris everywhere. It’s a mess.’’
A mobile home on the opposite side of the leveled house was heavily damaged, Cope said.
Cope said the blast blew out windows and doors at his church and several adjacent houses.
The Fire Marshal’s Office and several fire departments remained on the scene at midmorning.
Paul Miller at the Mingo County 911 center at the Airport in Williamson said the blast shook houses all the way to Belo, 12 miles away near Delbarton, and was felt by employees at the 911 center building, which is at least eight miles away.
Miller said Thursday that he wasn’t aware of any injuries that resulted from the explosion.
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