POLK COUNTY, Ga. --
Two people were killed in an explosion outside a Polk County home early Monday.
2 Killed In Workshop Explosion, Fire
The explosion was followed by a fire on Youngs Farm Road in Cedartown.
Around 12:30 a.m., a workshop in a garage-like building behind a house exploded, Polk County lead firefighter Alan Schuman said. He said the explosion was so massive that it left a debris field 100 feet in every direction.
When firefighters arrived, the entire building was engulfed in flames, Schuman said. About 200 volunteer firefighters hosed it down, and then discovered there were two bodies inside. The victims were 33 and 18 years old, but firefighters haven’t released their names. Schuman said they tried to get help before they died.
“There was something that happened inside that building that caused them to scream for help, and then, the explosion happened,” he told Channel 2’s Amanda Cook.
Schuman said the deaths have a big impact in the small community.
"Yeah, it touches everybody here. Everybody knows everybody, so it’s pretty devastating," he said.
Authorities are investigating the cause of the explosion.
Copyright 2011 by wsbtv.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.