Roanoke, VA – An 83-year-old man in Franklin County died over the weekend after his mobile home exploded.
Authorities say propane leaked into the home on Route 40 West Friday.
They believe the victim, Kermit Shivley, may have tried to flip a light switch or open the refrigerator, in which case the home was already a
tinderbox.
A neighbor says she heard a loud clap like thunder or thought possibly a tree had fallen over.When she ran outside, she saw the fire.
“By the time I got back inside to get shoes and everything on and back out
and up there, the whole trailer was engulfed in flames,” says Amanda Nelson
who lives next door.
Shivley was taken to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital and later transferred to UVA where he died Saturday.Authorities say the fire burned
over 75 percent of his body.
This is the first fatal fire in Franklin County for 2009.