July 07--FENTON -- Bomb and arson investigators from the St. Louis County Police Department are on the scene of a house fire and explosion that rocked a neighborhood in Fenton early Friday.
County Police Sgt. James McWilliams said a man -- who lives in the area but is not an owner of the house that blew up -- was burned on various parts of his body. He is being treated at a local hospital. It's unclear where the man was when he got burned, McWilliams said. He's not in custody and not considered a suspect at this time, McWilliams said.
The injured man is in fair condition at the hospital, said St. Louis County Police Lt. Melissa Webb, commander of the property crimes bureau. She said at least 15 detectives were on the scene knocking on doors and interviewing witnesses, and said investigators still are trying to determine the origin of the fire.
The owner of the ranch home, a former Kirkwood city policeman, had moved the last of his family's belongings out several days ago, asking Laclede Gas to stop natural gas service. The house was listed for sale about a week ago and was vacant when it exploded.
"The only thing that survived was the for-sale sign," said neighbor Chris Curtis, as he stood across the street from a pile of rubble.
Police were called at 4:50 a.m. today by neighbors who heard an explosion and saw flames shooting from the home in the 2100 block of Palatine Court. Palatine Court is in the St. Bernard Hills subdivision, southwest of Interstate 44 and Bowles Avenue.
The house is owned by Jerry Bay, 70, and his wife, Connie. Jerry Bay retired from the Kirkwood police force in 2001 as an evidence detective. Bay told neighbors that he had finished moving everything out a few days ago and had capped the gas line to his clothes dryer, then asked Laclede Gas Co. to stop service.
Laclede Gas technicians were on the scene after Friday's explosion. Jenny Gobble, a company spokeswoman, said those Laclede technicians learned from the fire chief that the cause of the fire was undetermined. "At this point, we don't believe it's natural-gas related," she said.
One neighbor told authorities that he saw someone running up the street after the explosion, and another person hosing himself off. While neighbors were concerned that foul play was involved, authorities weren't saying what they knew.
The Fenton Fire Protection District is the lead agency that fought the two-alarm blaze. The assistant fire chief was unavailable for comment, and county police weren't disclosing what their initial investigation was uncovering or if they had zeroed in on a cause. Crime scene tape was stretched around two homes -- the one that blew and a neighbor's home that was also damaged.
The front of the Bay family's house blew off, and nearly everything else was reduced to rubble. Neighbors were shocked to see so little left standing.
"I just see the center wall in the house, one closet door, a ceiling fan hanging from a rafter that fell down," Curtis said. "I see stuff all over the neighborhood on the ground."
The force of the explosion broke three of four windows in the living room of neighbor Chris Curtis' home at 2117 Palatine. It also blew out one of the two windows in the bedroom of Curtis' son, 24, who is autistic.
"Luckily, my son was in bed and a large pane of glass landed on his legs," Curtis said. "It didn't hurt him. He jumped up and saw the fire across the street."
The house that exploded is about 40 yards from Curtis' home, across the street and one over. Curtis took video of the raging fire and posted it on YouTube.
Curtis, 62, said the Bay family moved out over the last few weeks. The couple had lived there with their adult daughter and her two children. The only furnishing that was powered by gas was the clothes dryer, and Curtis said the gas line was capped and Bay had asked Laclede Gas to cut off service.
Jerry Bay was back at the neighborhood Friday morning, talking with neighbors and surveying the damage. He wasn't speaking with reporters. He told Curtis, "I'm so glad I didn't rent this house."
Another neighbor, living next to the home that blew, had her garage damaged. The left side of the house that blew up landed on her car.
Amanda Vitale, 33, lives with her parents in a home that is two houses down from the Bays' home. She said none of the debris came into her family's yard. It all seemed to fly in the other direction, she said. She said she woke to the sound of a loud boom.
"It was loud, I felt it but I was half asleep and I honestly thought my dad fell out of bed," she said. "But then my dog sat up and started growling at the window. I looked outside and saw orange."
The orange was the glow from the flames.
Bay's Re/Max real estate agent, Vicki Haley, declined comment early Friday. She said she hadn't had a chance yet to speak with Jerry or Connie Bay about what happened. On the Re/Max website, the home is described as a four-bedroom, two bathroom home with an asking price of $164,900.
Kim Bell covers breaking news for STLtoday.com and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
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