WARREN, Mich. – A house explosion claimed the life of one and impacted many others living on Villa Pointe Drive in Warren Sunday evening.
Original story: Fire crews respond to reported house explosion in Warren
Authorities said that at about 6:12 p.m., a double condo suddenly blew up. Neighbors shot cellphone video that captured how intense the flames were following the initial explosion.
“Two condos have been completely obliterated. Unfortunately, there is one deceased male,” said Warren fire Commissioner Wilbert McAdams. “We found the owner in the basement.”
Investigators can’t say for certain what the cause of the explosion was; however, multiple neighbors said they could smell the odor of natural gas before the explosion.
“It was a big build up of natural gas,” said one neighbor.
Cheryle Shaffer was inside her home next to the double condo when it exploded. Her entire roof caved in.
“The whole ceiling and walls, everything came down on me,” Shaffer said. “I thought I was dreaming for a half second.”
Shaffer said she had to crawl through broken glass out of the front window of her home, escaping with several minor cuts.
Vibrations from the explosion could be felt blocks away, making it a similar story for over a dozen residents living nearby left with damage from the incident. Many experienced broken glass and destroyed furniture. For neighbor Kenneth Bush, he had a damaged workstation.
“My tool shelves in my garage, everything came off. Our door jams are blown off,” Bush said.
Authorities say the owner of the condo where the explosion happened -- a man identified in his 40′s -- was found in the basement under debris and 5 feet of water.
Much of the area is without gas and power as a precaution while fire officials try to determine the cause of the explosion.
On Sunday, Consumer’s Energy said that they had not found anything that could have caused the explosion.
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