BEL AIR, Md. — On Monday, crews worked to demolish a home next to the one which exploded just over a week ago in Harford County.
Nine homes in that Bel Air neighborhood cannot be lived in after the August 11th explosion, the county told WMAR.
"There hasn't been a day where we haven't been on the phone or out at the site working with folks to make sure their needs are being met," Bob Cassilly, the Harford County Executive, told WMAR.
Cassilly said Public Works employees pulled debris from the street and properties, and building inspectors have looked at well over 100 homes.
"It's a great community," Cassilly said in an interview, "and obviously this has been very traumatic and difficult on them. Not to mention the two families that suffered the deaths."
Cassilly told WMAR when investigations have concluded, the county has contractors ready to roll in and clean up the site.
READ MORE: Victims identified from Bel Air house explosion
"Our house didn't just jiggle. It shook. It shook like nothing I've ever experienced before, and I've been in an earthquake," recalled Diana Cline, a neighbor.
Cline said her home had sustained damage, but not to the extent of some others in the neighborhood.
"It's heartbreaking," Cline added. "The people who lived there—that's their home. And our friends who live at the end of the road, their homes are destroyed as well."
The explosion took the lives of Jose Rodriguez-Alvarado, a 35-year-old BGE contractor, and Ray Corkran, a 73-year-old homeowner.
"We knew Ray very well," Cline said. "He was a wonderful man, and it won't be the same here without him. So he was terrific. Really, kind-hearted, generous, funny man."
Officials have not confirmed the cause of the explosion. Government and insurance investigations are underway.
