Cedar County, MO – Robert Harrington said he was trying to light the propane heater in his shed Tuesday when it exploded in his face.
KY3 spoke with Harrington Friday afternoon on his property near Stockton Lake.
“It was a fireball,” Harrington said. “I still will see that fireball, boy.”
Harrington, 76, said he can’t shake the explosion that rattled his property. It lifted all of the walls off of the foundation.
“I let my guard down,” he said. “You can’t let your guard down.”
Harrington said he lights the heater for his shed every year. He normally smells for propane, but this year he didn’t smell anything.
“I wonder if I got a load of propane without the additive,” he said. “You know, without the rotten egg stuff in it. It should have an odor.”
Harrington said his wife was standing outside the shed when it happened, but his face was just inches from the explosion.
“I hoped that I didn’t kill my wife and then my cats,” Harrington said.
Harrington said two of his pet cats were nearby when the explosion happened. One was treated for burns on its ears and the other is still missing.