Pershing, IN – Fire crews said a gas leak may be to blame for a house explosion which rattled windows and doors all over Wayne County, Indiana Tuesday night.
911 calls began pouring in from the town of Pershing just before 7 p.m. after the home on South Milton Street exploded.
Fire officials said the house was a ticking time bomb, with a basement filled with gas all it needed was a spark Jeff Eldridge said, “It scared the daylights out of me. I didn’t know what was going on.
In fact, everyone in town heard the explosion.
Shawna York said, “The door was in the middle of the road, fire, cops were everywhere.”
The Fire Chief lives just two blocks away.
“All four corners of the house blew at least 8 feet off the foundation,” said Chief David Shank of the Cambridge City Fire Department.
When the house exploded, officials said the homeowners were in their bedroom. They suffered first and second degree burns on their legs when the home blew from the bottom up.
Their son was laying on the sofa in the living room where the roof caved in.
“The furniture caught the ceiling and he was able to roll off the couch and get out, ” said Chief Shank.
Amazingly, no one was seriously injured.
Shawna York said, “My neighbors were in a daze. I walked up to hug them and they were just dazed.”
Fire investigators said an old gas line to the home, no longer in use, had rusted through and natural gas had been silently seeping into the basement for months.
It sparked Tuesday night when the victims turned on their DVD player.
Chief Shank said, “It’s a wonder those people didn’t get killed. I’m glad they’re alright.”
Three people were inside, including Tim and Paula Burgess and their son Kevin. None of the three was seriously hurt.
The neighborhood was evacuated.
About a year ago, the gas service was cut to the home. Officials now say the likely cause of the explosion was gas that accumulated somewhere in the line that ran from Milton Street into the house.
They don’t know what triggered the explosion.
Crews dug in front of the house to repair the line well past midnight.
Wednesday morning, the front wall of the house was visibly separated and was leaning against the rest of the home. That house, along with a neighboring home, remained cordoned off.
Even though there was essentially no associated fire, the home was considered a total loss.
The explosions remains under investigation.
Most of the neighbors were allowed to return to their home at around midnight.