Search continues at JJs site on the Plaza

This was the scene last night about an hour after a natural gas explosion in the Plaza destroyed JJs restaurant.

Search teams are still looking for one person who is missing after the explosion at JJs restaurant in the Plaza last night, according to the Kansas City Star. The cause of the massive gas line explosion that leveled the building at 910 W. 48^th is still unclear. Fire department officials said early this morning they were continuing to search for one employee who has not been located.

The popular Plaza establishment was reduce to rubble after the blast. Firefighters and utility crews worked through the night to ensure the neighborhood around the blast was safe and to search for survivors. An estimated seventeen people were treated in local hospitals, with several in critical condition.

Belleview Avenue and Roanoke Parkway are closed between 47^th and Ward Parkway today and motorists are being asked to avoid the area.