33 homes to be demolished after Indianapolis explosion - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

The City of Indianapolis will order 33 homes to be demolished after the Nov. 10th explosion in the Richmond Hill subdivision.

A total of 90 homes were damaged or destroyed in the blast, but Wednesday's number is a huge increase from the original estimate of five homes destroyed.

The city wants all 33 homes demolished by the end of the year, and it released a proposed schedule for demolition.

Six homes will be torn down beginning next Monday (Nov. 26), and another six will come down a week later.

The homes that are inside the crime scene have been inaccessible to homeowners. They are being shored up so residents can return to claim their possessions.

The four homes flattened or nearly destroyed by the explosion will be demolished after investigators are finished.

"The real reason we are moving so quickly is because of the danger these homes present not only to people in the area, but also to surrounding and adjacent properties," said Adam Collins, Indianapolis code enforcement director.

Also, 17 homes will get a demolition hearing in late December to give insurance companies and homeowners additional time. The city will consider plans for repairs from engineering firms and contractors.

Homes that appear from the outside to have only minor damage also received demolition orders. Inside, there are fractured walls and supports that make the structure unsafe.

Meantime, Citizens Gas says reports indicating that the meter at the home which exploded had a high reading on Nov. 10th are not accurate.

The utility company says its meters cannot monitor daily usage. The meter was tested Oct. 26th and the reading was normal, according to Citizens Gas. Specific days were not tested.

Investigators suspect natural gas as a factor in the explosion, but so far, they have not reached any conclusions about the cause of the blast.

This is a developing story that will be updated. Watch Eyewitness News at Noon for more details or refresh this page to see the latest version of the story.