STAYTON, Ore. --
A home in Stayton exploded Saturday night, leaving nothing but splinters of wood and debris in its place and leading to 17 evacuations in the area.
The explosion occurred just after 11 p.m. at a home on East Burnett Street. Neighbors said they felt the blast from blocks away.
"One explosion followed by another explosion and then all this chaos," said Charlie Barham, who lives nearby. "It's insane."
An off-duty officer who lives four houses away called 911 after hearing the massive explosion. He went outside and found a massive plume of smoke and flames coming from the home.
Firefighters arriving at the scene called for a third alarm when they smelled gas in the area. Northwest Natural was called in to shut off the gas to the home. While it appears natural gas may have led to the fire, investigators were still trying to determine the cause.
"They kept us back for a long time," Barham said. "No one really had anything to say until a while ago, they explained there was something wrong with the gas lines. (It) filled the house and exploded."
There were no injuries in the blast. The home's owners were away at the time of the fire. They planned to return to their home Sunday to see the damage.
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