Josh Powell, 2 children killed in home explosion

Josh Powell and his two children were killed Sunday afternoon in an explosion at the Graham-area house where Powell was living.

Neighbors reported the explosion at the  house in the 8100 block of 188^th Street Court East to authorities at about 12:30 p.m. 

 Graham fire spokesman Gary Franz confirmed that Powell had been living at the house.

• Slideshow: Scene footage from Josh Powell house explosion

 When firefighters first arrived, they were unable to locate Powell,  but Pierce County Sheriff's Office spokesman Ed Troyer later said Powell was found dead.

According to KIRO 7 news partner The News Tribune,  Powell had a supervised visit Sunday with his sons. A social worker dropped off the children but wasn’t allowed inside the home.  The explosion occurred sometime afterward.

Troyer said Child Protective Services brought Powell's children on a scheduled visit, and Powell got the CPS worker outside where the worker was separated from the children. Deputies said the case worker was not injured.

According to Department of Social and Health Services, the visitation was part of an ongoing court-ordered visit schedule. The DSHS will conduct a formal child fatality review.

The Pierce County Sheriff's Office believe this explosion was intentional. 

According to Troyer, a fire accelerant was used because of how fast the house went up in flames. 

On Wednesday, a judge denied custody to Powell of his two children after allegations developed. 

More than two years after his wife, Susan Powell, vanished, Powell has come under increased scrutiny because of child porn allegations against his father and questions about his own behavior. 

Allegations of sexually explicit images found on one of Powell's compters more than two years ago have caused the Department of Social and Health Services to ask more questions about what had been going on in his home.