Police in Laurel, Nebraska are investigating multiple fatalities, according to State Patrol. The cause of the deaths is not confirmed yet, but an explosion was heard in the area. 

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On Thursday morning, as per the Nebraska State Patrol, ‘a situation with multiple fatalities’ was reported. Laurel is a city with a population of just over 1,000 and is about 130 miles northwest of Omaha.

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The deaths occured across multiple scenes in the Cedar County community. The Sheriff’s Office, law enforcement and several agencies are present in the area. 

Cody Thomas, a spokesman for the Nebraska State Patrol, said state investigators were headed to Laurel and would likely take the lead in investigating what happened.

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“Fire has been involved at both houses, and that’s all I know,” Thomas said. He said he didn’t know how many people died or the circumstances surrounding their deaths.

A woman who answered the phone Thursday at the Cedar County Sheriff’s Office said she had no information about the deaths and that she was the only person in the office.

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Most businesses, a senior center and schools voluntarily went on lockdown at the recommendation of police, said Lori Hansen, a clerical assistant at the Laurel City Hall. She said she had no other information about what was happening at the police scenes.

“We’ve been listening to TV to try to find out what’s going on,” she said.

Local businesses and other buildings in Laurel are reportedly on lockdown. A teacher training in Wakefield is also currently affected, with witnesses in Wakefield stating that the school there is also on lockdown.