Jul 15, 2014 1 min read

DARLINGTON (AP) – Authorities said a husband and wife were killed in an early-morning house explosion in Western Pennsylvania.

Emergency dispatchers in Beaver County said the blast was reported about 4 a.m. Tuesday in South Beaver Township, a rural area about 40 miles northwest of Pittsburgh.

The Beaver County Coroner’s Office said autopsies are planned Tuesday on 74-year-old Ray Trautvetter and 69-year-old Janet Trautvetter. Police say they were inside the ranch-style home at the time.

Fire crews were initially kept away from the scene because of smaller explosions that police believe to have been ammunition going off, but they were later able to extinguish the blaze.

A fire marshal is investigating the cause, which Richman said police believe “probably is going to be gas-related.” He said the home used propane for fuel.