Nation in brief: Gas leak suspected in house explosion

A powerful explosion flattened a house in suburban Pittsburgh on Wednesday, killing a man, injuring his 4-year-old granddaughter and damaging more than a dozen neighboring homes, authorities said.

Natural gas appeared to have fueled the explosion, a utility spokesman said, but it remained unclear why it happened.

Pieces of burnt insulation and debris were scattered over a wide area, and smoke and flames still rose from the site hours after the 1:40 p.m. blast in Plum, about 15 miles east of Pittsburgh.

“All of a sudden all the pictures blew off the walls; we heard a loud bang. It felt like an earthquake,” said Diane Fulmer, 43, who lives two houses away. Fulmer said she ran outside and “all I could see was parts of houses flying in the air.”

St. Paul, Minn.

Keillor puts home on the market

Humorist Garrison Keillor put his historic St. Paul home up for sale, a few weeks after a dispute with his neighbor over her building plans ended up in court.

The host of public radio’s “A Prairie Home Companion” is asking $1.65 million for the seven-bedroom, five-bath home, according to its listing on Realtor.com.

In January, Keillor and his wife sued next-door neighbor Lori Anderson to stop her from building a two-story garage-and-studio addition to her house. The lawsuit was settled through mediation about a week later.

Real estate agent Mary Hardy said the dispute isn’t why Keillor is selling the house. She said he wanted a house with an airy, first-floor studio where he can work, and he’s made an offer for a nearby house.