(CNN) At least two people were killed in Friday morning's explosion at a northwest Houston manufacturing business, police said -- a blast that shook much of the city, damaged buildings up to a half-mile away and left some residents at least temporarily displaced. The explosion rocked Watson Grinding and Manufacturing around 4:15 a.m. local time (5:15 a.m. ET), tearing apart several structures while sending debris and shock waves much further, pushing some nearby homes off their foundations, officials said. "This is, in essence, a disaster area right now," city Police Chief Art Acevedo said of the area roughly an 18-mile drive northwest of downtown. An investigation into what caused the blast is underway and may take months, Acevedo said.

Source: CNN January 24, 2020 11:42 UTC