Several people are feared trapped inside burning homes after a massive explosion shook houses five miles away.
At least three houses were said to be on fire after a home blew up in the US city of Flint, Michigan, on Monday night.
Local residents said a distraught mother was seen screaming for her baby as the inferno raged.
Residents said the blast shook homes throughout the city and many said they thought a bomb had gone off, with one comparing the devastating scene to a "war zone".
Women were heard sobbing in the background of a live Facebook stream of the scene.
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A local resident wrote on Twitter: "A house blew up and this lady is screaming she couldn’t get her baby out. I'm in pure tears over here."
She later added: "My child is safely sleeping on my leg while another mother is screaming in pain because hers was stuck in a fire. Jesus."
A second person tweeted: "We were just sitting here and all of a sudden a huge explosion rattled the house, shaking the windows. Turns out a (house) five miles away exploded taking multiple houses with it."
A third person wrote: "I’m still shaking but sirens are here everywhere now I swear it’s a war zone."
The manager of a nearby Applebee's told NBC 25 that the ground shook and ceiling panels collapsed inside the restaurant.
Firefighters arrived and began spraying water on the burning houses.
A search was launched to find out if anyone was trapped inside the homes.
Neighbouring homes were evacuated as an investigation into the cause of the blast was underway.
Officials urged locals to stay away from the scene.
