Tampa, FL – Investigators have determined that a house that exploded in Dunedin on Feb. 11 did so because of propane gas, but they are still at a loss as to how the gas was ignited, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office said this morning.
Injured in the blaze at 1524 Michigan Blvd. was Duane Cole, who was living in the home alone. An American Eskimo dog named Jingles was also hurt and later died.
The explosion leveled the house, and a nearby home sustained minor damage to a window. The explosion was heard up to a mile away.
Cole’s stepson, Brandon Harring, has told the media he and his mother moved out of the house two or three months ago when his parents separated.
Harring, 17, said he was at Dunedin High School when someone sent him a text and he raced to the scene. He said Cole is a construction worker.