Champaign County, OH- A propane gas tank leak caused an explosion that destroyed a house and sparked a fire early Sunday, May 3.
One person was injured in the blast at a home in the 4100 block of Kite Road just before midnight, according to officials with German Twp. Fire and Rescue, Clark County.
The homeowner, whose name was not released, reportedly detected the leak and shut off the propane tank, according to Shane Cartmill, Public Information Officer, Division of State Fire Marshal.
The man then opened some windows to air out the house, which lowered the temperature inside the home, activating the furnace and igniting the fumes, according to Cartmill.
It was just like a bomb went off, said Neighbor Norm Pence. The house looked like it was up in the air…the sky was full of sparks.
The blast shook Pence’s house and rattled the windows, he said.
Pence ran to the home, found the homeowner underneath some debris and pulled him out.
The homeowner was taken to a nearby hospital, according to Cartmill.
A woman who was outside the home at the time of the blast suffered only minor injuries, he said.
Cartmill cautioned the public to alert their local fire department in the event of a gas leak, then leave the home and don’t re-enter.
Crews from Pike Twp. in Clark County as well as Christiansburg and St. Paris assisted at the scene.