4 individuals had been discovered useless on Thursday at two properties that had been on fireplace in Laurel, Neb., a small metropolis about 100 miles northwest of Omaha, the authorities stated.

Simply after three a.m. Thursday, the authorities within the metropolis of about 1,000 individuals obtained a name about an explosion within the 200 block of Elm Road, Col. John A. Bolduc, the superintendent of the Nebraska Freeway Patrol, stated at a information convention.

When the authorities arrived, they discovered an individual useless inside the house, Colonel Bolduc stated. As they had been investigating, they obtained one other name about one other fireplace at a house three blocks away and located three individuals useless inside it, Colonel Bolduc stated.

The names or ages of the victims weren’t launched. The authorities had been looking for a suspect and believed the deaths had been the results of foul play, Colonel Bolduc stated. He stated he believed the 2 episodes had been associated.

“Now we have two fires with deceased individuals three blocks aside,” he stated. “It could be a stretch to say there’s no connection, nevertheless it’s very early within the investigation.”

Larry Koranda, the Cedar County sheriff, didn’t instantly return cellphone and electronic mail messages. On the information convention, he referred to as Laurel a tight-knit neighborhood the place “everyone is aware of everyone.”