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Thirty-five families displaced after a natural gas explosion in Centreville may be unable to return home until at least Friday as investigators search for the source of a leak along Belle Plains Drive.

Sunday’s explosion destroyed a house and injured two people. Days later, uncertainty is weighing on residents of the Fairfax County neighborhood, where multiple natural gas pipelines run through the area.

Lou Ann Craig has lived near the explosion site for 39 years. Her family was not evacuated, and her house still has gas service, but she said the continuing search has left neighbors uneasy.

Craig knew when she bought her home that a natural gas distribution pipeline was nearby. Investigators are now examining a roughly 1,000-foot section of pipeline but have not pinpointed the leak.

Four National Transportation Safety Board investigators are expected to spend several days gathering evidence and monitoring the scene. Their review will examine possible human factors, the pipeline system and its operating environment. A final report could take 18 months to two years.

Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Assistant Chief of Operations Eric Craven said testing revealed a loss of pressure in a section of pipe under investigation.

The line along Belle Plains Drive is a distribution line operated and maintained by Washington Gas. Transmission lines on an easement across from the destroyed house are owned and maintained by Williams Pipeline.

Craven said the pressure loss indicates a leak probably existed when natural gas was flowing through the distribution line. Investigators have not determined whether it was the leak that caused the explosion.

Washington Gas will continue searching for and repairing any leaks connected to the pressure loss. Craven said that work could take 48 hours or longer.

Resident James Crockett said authorities have kept the neighborhood informed, but the lack of answers remains unsettling. Families are waiting to learn whether they will have to evacuate or can safely remain in their homes.

Fairfax County firefighters are continuing door-to-door checks of gas levels at houses along the pipeline.

Craig’s home is close to the investigation’s command center, which has provided her with some reassurance. She said residents were told authorities would try to give them three to four hours’ notice if an evacuation becomes necessary.

Pat Warren, director of the NTSB’s Office of Rail, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Investigations, said the federal agency is working with local authorities to establish the probable cause, recommend safety improvements and help prevent another similar incident.