Explosion Reported at Connecticut Home as Police Responded to a Domestic Call

An explosion at a barn behind a Connecticut house where police and SWAT officers were responding to a domestic call caused a large fire and left at least eight officers injured, according to officials.

The North Haven Police Department said the 300 block of Quinnipiac Avenue remains closed as authorities respond.

North Haven First Selectman Michael Freda told WTIC-TV that the situation “started late this afternoon with what was apparently a very violent domestic call.”

Police were attempting to coax the suspect out of the house when the explosion in a barn behind the house occurred around 8:30 p.m., he added, according to the Associated Press.

Eight officers sustained non-life-threatening injuries including cuts, abrasions and bruises, AP reports. Yale New Haven Hospital said on Facebook that seven patients were being medically evaluated.

The suspect’s wife had escaped prior to the explosion, according to Freda. Another police official declined to comment on whether the suspect had been taken to custody, saying the incident remained “an active, ongoing scene,” according to AP.

A reporter on the scene from WFSB-TV Channel 3 shared photos of the North Haven property in flames. Two men were later seen being led away in handcuffs from the scene. It’s unclear how they are connected to the incident.

Firefighters were still trying to get the blaze under control early Thursday, and had designated a local firehouse as a “refuge” for affected local residents, AP reports.

This is a developing story.