SOUTHGATE, Mich. (WXYZ) — A 59-year-old woman was killed in a house explosion in Southgate Thursday morning.
Southgate police received a call around 9:30 a.m. on a report of a house fire and possible explosion at a home in the 13400 block of Cunningham. They found the victim dead at the scene.
The explosion happened near Fort Street and Northline Road.
When the sounds of explosions were coming from the home, neighbors rushed there.
It was just too dangerous to go inside with the last explosion sending one of the good Samaritans off her feet and on to the ground.
A man who lives next door and doesn’t want to be identified says the explosion was so big it damaged his home.
However, he rushed to get his three children out of the house.
“Four explosions total and one of them peeled the whole side of the house off the back,” he said.
He added that the explosions took place within a matter of a couple minutes.
“From the time I called 911 is when the first one happened and by the time I got off the phone with 911, the explosions were done,” the resident said.
When the first explosion happened two people rushed to help the woman inside.
“The neighbor and my girlfriend actually went to look inside that front house as the fourth explosion happened, which caused both of them to back up and get away from the house,” he said. “Made her fall, that’s how big the explosion was.”
Officials say determining the cause of the explosion could take weeks. However, DTE officials say it is not gas related.
The police chief noted the homeowner was on an oxygen tank, which was found near her body inside the home.
