WXYZ — A home explosion in Warren was felt around the block Saturday night.
“I heard a boom, and it shook all the houses, every one of them," said Joe Hutchinson, who lives down the street on Lefever Avenue.
The blast occurred just before 6 o'clock on Lefever, which is near Cunningham and Toepfer just off of E. 8 Mile.
Thankfully no one was inside the home at the time, and fire officials reported no injuries. They believe the explosion may be gas related.
“Everything just shook the windows and everything and we didn’t know where to look, and we came outside and we saw the fire blowing that way. Just everything was engulfed," said neighbor Rose Riley.
VIDEO: Alex Ionescu captured the massive flames engulfing the home on Lefever Ave shortly after the explosion this evening. Cause of the explosion still under investigation. No one was inside at the time @wxyzdetroit pic.twitter.com/a8P5HuPylX
— Jenn Schanz (@JennSchanzWXYZ) December 1, 2019
Crews were able to put out the flames, but battled heavy smoke and hot spots for hours. The home is a total loss.
Neighbors reported seeing a gas line on fire shortly after the explosion.
“There was, after the initial explosion. And just because it was fuel for the fire, we did not want to extinguish that, risking another explosion. So we let that burn until we were able to get the gas turned off by Consumers Energy," said Battalion Chief Kevin Falkowski with the Warren Fire Department.
Neighbors watched in shock as crews worked to put the fire out. The force of the explosion left broken glass scattered onto the front porch across the street from the home, and left windows in trees.
“The whole front of this house is gone. It took the whole front end of the house right off," Hutchinson told Action News.
Again, fire officials believe the explosion may be gas related. They continue to investigate.
