Gas station in north-central Idaho explodes, burns at least two people

Multiple people are unaccounted for and could be dead after an explosion at a remote gas station 70 some miles east of Lewiston in the community of Cardiff.

Two people were airlifted with severe burns, and the Clearwater County Sheriff’s Office said more people were still inside the station.

Pictures from the scene show an inferno with two fuel tankers and a collapsed canopy.

Several agencies were dispatched shortly after 3 p.m. to a reported explosion and fire at the Cardiff gas station, 36753 State Highway 11, according to a Facebook post from Clearwater County, which credited the sheriff’s office.

The fire was still burning, and officials did not know when it would be extinguished. The highway near Cardiff was closed, according to the Idaho Transportation Department.

The sheriff’s office and the Idaho State Fire Marshal are investigating the cause of the explosion and fire.