Explosion Levels Arizona Home, Damages Others
Source East Valley Tribune, Mesa, Ariz.
Nearly 100 calls flooded a 911 dispatch center and an orange glow and smoky haze could be seen from miles away moments after a Chandler home was destroyed by an explosion late Sunday.
Investigators are calling the incident suspicious and are now sifting through debris where the home stood in the 2300 block of East Boston Street. The explosion was felt at least two miles away at McQueen and Ray Roads, according to police, and left a neighboring house heavily damanged while cracking windows of homes across the street.
No one was at the single-story wood-frame home, and no injuries occurred as a result. The home's occupant returned after the explosion happened and appeared surprised to see his home leveled, said Detective Seth Tyler, a Chandler police spokesman.
A woman who was inside the home that was damaged next door was able to get out of it, Tyler said.
Members of the Maricopa County Task Force are on the scene trying to pinpoint a cause currently are being tight-lipped about the investigation.
There's no gas service in the neighborhood, so the explosion, which caused debris to be blown onto roofs of nearby homes, makes it more suspicious, Tyler said.
"This is pretty significant," Tyler said. "Houses just don't explode. We're trying to find out why it happened and the motive."
Copyright 2012 - East Valley Tribune, Mesa, Ariz.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
