A man killed himself by blowing up his own house on his daughter’s wedding day, police said shortly after his body was found in the rubble.
The homeowner had been seen standing in front of the property in Edgewood, near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, shortly before it exploded and caught fire at around 2.30pm on Saturday.
He could not be accounted for until he was found dead around six hours later.
His death has been ruled a suicide.
Officials are still investigating the cause of the explosion, but “it looks like he disconnected the gas line in the basement of the house,” said police chief Robert Payne.
“And of course, it wouldn’t take much of a spark to explode the house.”
Most of the family was out of the house at the time for the wedding, officials said.
Police said they had been to the home before for domestic issues relating to mental illness.
A house next door that was damaged by the fire had recently been sold, and officials say a family had been planning to move in soon.
Associated Press
For confidential support in the UK, call Samaritans on 116 123. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255.
