A house in Ann Arbor, Michigan, exploded on Monday, February 19, by 6 a.m. This house was on South 7th Street near Princeton Avenue, along the border of Ann Arbor’s Eberwhite and Old West Side neighborhoods. As expected, the explosion caused a massive fire and also spread debris across the house.
According to several witnesses, they could see the fumes from the blast several miles away. Paul Schrems, a man who lives several blocks away, said he was in his living room when he heard the explosion.
“I heard what sounded like a bomb, and the whole house shook,” Schrems told USA TODAY. “I put on my coat and decided to see what happened. Cops rushed down… I followed them and saw the whole house on fire. Hopefully, everyone made it out safely.”
The neighbors near the blast site said the house’s occupant was a man in his 70s. Thankfully, he managed to escape the building before collapsing on the street. Emergency services rushed him to a nervy hospital, and his prognosis seemed good.
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“The wall of his house closest to us had blown open, and we saw flames starting to come out. I quickly called 911 and got our housemates out, our shoes on and coats on and outside as soon as we could,” said Dane Page, who lives nearby.
“By then, he was out and calling for help, calling for us to call 911, and pretty soon fire was on the scene, by then the house was pretty engulfed.” The fire rampaged the entire house, and there was not much left of it after they successfully put it out.
According to authorities, the cause of this fire was two 20-pound propane tanks inside. The man had his gas and water cut off to the home for some time, using the tanks to heat up the house. However, this was a terrible decision as it carries several risks.
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The main one is an explosion. “DTE provides gas service for the area, and we have confirmed with DTE that the meter had been shut off for an undetermined amount of time,” said Ann Arbor Fire Chief Mike Kennedy.
“Neighbors informed us that the occupant was using propane to heat the house. We also determined that the water service had been shut off. There was electrical going there, but gas and water had been shut off.”
Undoubtedly, the man is lucky to have escaped with his life. The explosion was big and also caused damage to some nearby homes and property. However, firefighters were able to prevent the nearby houses from catching fire.
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Authorities also dispatched a street sweeper to clear glass debris from the streets. In addition, they limited movement for a while around the blast site to prevent any further incidents. Another neighbor, Fred Hutchinson, who lives across the street, said there were several explosions from the house. According to him, everything happened so fast. He saw the home engulfed in flames in seconds.
At 6 O’clock, the whole house rattled,” Hutchinson said. “I’ve had fireworks go off in the neighborhood and stuff. This was 10 times louder than any firework I’ve ever heard.” Miraculously, the blast did not hurt any other person.
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