One man was injured after a house exploded Monday night in Frederick County, Va.
According to officials, fire crews responded to a report of a house fire at about 8 p.m. in the area of Buchanan Street in Stephens City, but when they arrived they found the house destroyed.
One man sustained second- and- third-degree burns and was transported to a Washington-area burn center, authorities said. Several homes in the immediate area were damaged and have been evacuated. The area gas company is on the scene and is working to secure the area and firefighters are ensuring that the fire is under control.
Neighbors said the blast damaged other houses nearby.
"It felt like maybe something, an explosion," said Terry Smith. "We are, like, a half-mile away. The windows shook, and then we went out to see. The back deck was covered with the insulation from the house. We saw the smoke, and then, of course, everybody else was running out back to find out what was going on.
"There was another woman that we knew was complaining of hearing loss and a headache. They are still evaluating people and checking all the row townhouses and houses. Evidently, there's quite a few of them that are damaged and they're not letting people go back in."
The two-story single family home was reduced to smoky wood. The impact of the explosion was so great, the home's insulation was scattered on rooftops of a townhouse development more than a quarter-mile away.
Firefighters said they did not know if anyone else was in the house.
Authorities said they are trying to investigate whether gas caused the explosion. Power in the area was shut off.
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