On Thursday, May 3rd, local police officers in North Haven, Connecticut received a call from a woman saying that she had escaped her home after being held hostage for several days by her husband. The responding officers were joined by the regional SWAT team where they encountered a barricaded man. Officers spent hours negotiating with the man but he would not come out.

The owners of the property, John and Deborah Sayre, were going through a divorce. According to court records, Deborah Sayre filed for divorce on April 18 saying their marriage had “broken down irretrievably.” Officers said they have responded to multiple calls on reports of domestic abuse coming from their property.

Around 8:30 pm a building on the property exploded. Nine officers were injured and are being treated with non-life-threatening injuries. The remains of one person was found. Officer Kelly Grant said, “the identity of the body will not be known until an autopsy is done.”

The explosion did cause damage not only to the property but to other homes and vehicles near by. Residents living near the property said they felt their homes shake and heard a few smaller explosions continue as emergency vehicles rushed to the scene. Joan Mazurek, a resident of North Haven said, “Then we heard all the ambulances and fire engines. The noise from all the emergency vehicles was unbelievable. It’s a shock. Nothing ever happens like this in North Haven.”