Man, dog killed in house explosion near Kansas City, officials say

GLADSTONE, Mo. -- A man and dog were killed in an explosion that destroyed a house near Kansas City, Missouri.

Several nearby homes had to be evacuated. Debris was scattered around the neighborhood.

A spokesperson for the local utility company said it was not a gas explosion.

It's still unclear what caused the blast.

"I heard the explosion, so I ran to the door to see what it was, and I could see smoke," witness Calvin Childress said. "It looked like they had dropped an atomic bomb."

Childress said he ran to help, but as he approached the house there were other small explosions, so he had to turn back.

No further information about the house explosion was immediately available.

CNN-Wire contributed to this report.