Neighbors are stunned after an explosion in Excelsior Springs leveled a house and killed two people

EXCELSIOR SPRINGS, Missouri (KCTV) – In a rural area where a neat row of houses sits next to acres of farmland, the roadside is cordoned off with police tape. Splintered wood, roofing felt, insulation, bricks, crumbled drywall and pieces of pipe lie scattered nearby. What looks like clothing or bedding lies in the trees.

The former house was razed to the ground and the couple who lived there with their dog died instantly.

“One minute they’re here, the next they’re gone,” says Robert Zelinski, who lives next door.

Her garage door flew into his yard, which is now littered with family photos and documents.

Zelinksi is a deep sleeper. He heard what he thought was thunder and turned around. Other neighbors heard and felt it with much greater force.

“I thought a plane had crashed,” said Gary Gooch, who lives further away.

SEE ALSO: Surveillance video shows intensity of Excelsior Springs house explosion

Gooch drove over on his quad bike and called out to see if anyone was inside. He got no answer.

“I hope they were on vacation or something,” he said. “I hope they weren't in there.”

The Clay County Sheriff's Office found the remains of a dog that died in the explosion early this morning. In the afternoon, they announced that they had found two people in the rubble.

SEE ALSO: House explosion in Excelsior Springs: Drone video shows enormous damage

Investigators are still looking into what caused the explosion, which occurred around 4:45 a.m. Friday on Kimberly Drive near Rocky Hollow Lake. The sheriff's office said there was no evidence of foul play.

On Friday evening, family members apparently searched through the rubble, collecting papers, photographs and anything else they could find to preserve memories of the couple.

Neighbors said they didn't know the couple well, but they spent every morning relaxing on the porch with their small dog named Cinnamon, waving whenever they passed by. The man had worked for many years at a container company, said Zelinksi, who went to high school with him. They were both retired, according to several neighbors, with neighbors giving different figures on how long they had been retired.

“They're very nice people,” Claudia Baxley said. “He hasn't been retired that long. He's had some good years in retirement, but not as many as you would hope.”

Zelinski searched for words and still couldn't believe what he saw and what it meant.

“First I looked at the house and everything and then I thought my neighbors were gone,” he said. “One minute they're here, the next they're gone.”

ALSO READ: Explosion rocks house in Excelsior Springs, 2 bodies found in the rubble

KCTV5 is not yet using the names given by neighbors and seen on mail distributed outside the home. The family asked for privacy and the sheriff's office has not yet released their identities. A sheriff's office spokeswoman said Friday afternoon that they were still working to notify some family members who were out of town and would likely not release their identities until they received positive identification from the coroner's office.

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