Caldwell County, NC – A gas explosion severely damaged an unoccupied house off Baton Church Road in Caldwell County on Tuesday morning, according to North Catawba Deputy Fire Chief Dennis Hopkins.
The explosion, which Hopkins said could be heard from a mile away, was caused by a propane tank leak on the back side of the home. Hopkins said with the right mixture of air and gas, an explosion such as this can occur.
The blast blew out the back wall of the basement, shifted the home on its foundation and caused a partial collapse. Hopkins said debris landed in the road.
Occupants of a home nearly 100 yards from the explosion said pictures fell from their interior walls, according to Hopkins.
The owners of the unoccupied home were in the process of cleaning the house out. When they left the home Monday evening, they never saw signs of a gas leak, Hopkins said.
No one was injured.