Maury County, TN – By SUE McCLURE
Staff Writer
Explosion breaks windows in nearby house
Alton Bradley, 81, of 962 Old Highway 99, was attempting to light a propane heater at 1:57 a.m. when the appliance exploded, according to Capt. Mark Gandee of Maury Rural Fire and Rescue Squad.
”It literally blew him out of the trailer,” Gandee said. ”All indicators are that it was an accident, but it looked really bad.”
When emergency workers arrived on the scene, Bradley was lying in the yard ”with burns and severe lacerations to his body,” according to firefighter Will Craft’s report.
Bradley was taken by ambulance to Maury Regional Hospital, then transported by emergency medical helicopter to Vanderbilt, where he remained last night.
Debris, including pieces of furniture and mobile-home siding, was strewn up to 100 yards from the house and in nearby trees.
The explosion was felt as far as a mile away, and the subsequent fire left the mobile home a charred hull, Gandee said.
”The impact of the explosion also tore the siding off an adjacent farmhouse,” he said. ”And it broke the house’s windows out and busted in the foundation on it.”
Firefighters returned to the scene just after noon yesterday when a fire rekindled in the mobile home, Gandee said.
State Fire Marshal Russell Robinson is expected to investigate the scene today, authorities said.