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Body Found After 9 Officers Hurt In Explosion At North Haven Standoff

NORTH HAVEN, Conn. (CBSNewYork/AP) — A body was found in a building after an explosion during a standoff with a man in Connecticut, officials said Thursday.

State Police Trooper Kelly Grant said that nine officers were being treated for non-life-threatening injuries and the remains of one unidentified person was found in a building at the home in North Haven Thursday morning.

All nine officers remained hospitalized Thursday. They were members of the regional tactical team, and included five from East Haven, three from North Haven, and one from Branford.

The explosion happened at a barn behind the home Wednesday night.

North Haven Deputy Police Chief Jonathan Mulhern said it began when a woman called police to report domestic violence. She told officers her husband had been holding her hostage for three days and she had just escaped, CBS2's Janelle Burrell reported.

"Our detectives began an investigation yesterday afternoon and as it progressed, they determined there was a need for the SWAT team and then that transitioned to a barricaded subject," said Mulhern.

Mulhern said the woman was not at the home when first responders arrived and said there was no hostage situation at the scene.

"Just to clarify, she was not in the home at the time of this incident," he said. "I know there are some other reports out there that this was a hostage situation -- no, she was not in the residence. It was a lone subject."

Grant said investigators were still trying to piece together what happened in the days prior to the incident. She said an autopsy was scheduled to confirm the identity of the body, but that no one was in custody.

"Because we don't have an identity," Grant said. "Once we have a positive identity on the remains, we can go from there."

Residents near the home said they heard the explosion and felt their own homes shake. Additional police rushed to the scene as the fire raged, and sounds of smaller explosions also were heard.

"I was shocked. I couldn't believe it," one neighbor said. "I looked through the window and I saw SWAT cars."

"Literally stuff on our kitchen tables was shaking," another neighbor said. "Stuff like this never ever happens around here."

Resident Joan Mazurek heard what she thought was a train at her home about a mile away from the scene. It was the explosion.

"Then we heard all the, oh my God, all the ambulances and fire engines. The noise from all the emergency vehicles was unbelievable," she said. "It's a shock. Nothing ever happens like this in North Haven."

Firefighters on Thursday continued to battle the barn fire that also damaged other structures and vehicles.

State police said they were assisting North Haven police with the investigation. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also responded to the scene.

(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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