More than a dozen injured as gas explosion causes huge blaze in Kansas City shopping district

Emergency crews are using cadaver dogs to search the smoldering remains of a Kansas City restaurant that burned to the ground on Tuesday night following a gas explosion and massive blaze.

At least 14 people were injured, with at least two reported in critical condition, in the blast and resulting fire that completely destroyed JJ's restaurant.

No fatalities have been reported but Kansas City Fire Chief Paul Berardi said late on Tuesday he expected his crews to find bodies throughout the night.

'I would always fear there are fatalities in a scene like this,' he said, adding that the search for victims could take hours.

The cause of the blast remains under investigation. Earlier City Manager Troy Schulte said it appeared an accident by a utility contractor had caused the blast, and a statement from utility Missouri Gas Energy late Tuesday reiterated that possibility, but Berardi and others cautioned jumping to conclusions.

'This investigation is ongoing,' Berardi said. 'We do have reports that there was an odor of gas earlier. But, again, this investigation needs to be concluded before we want to speculate on any of that.'