Blast at Ky. Apartment Complex Injures Two

Nov. 13--DANVILLE -- Danville police and a city fire marshal are investigating an apartment explosion early Wednesday that left two men injured and a family displaced.

Neighbors said they suspect that the fire was caused by a working meth lab, but Deputy Fire Chief Tim Brumfield said the cause hasn't been determined. Brumfield said police are investigating.

Officials had not released the names of the two injured men, one of whom was disabled and in a wheelchair. The men apparently were taken to University of Kentucky Chandler Hospital.

The explosion happened shortly after 12:30 a.m. Wednesday and left a gaping hole in a ground-level apartment on Patrician Place on the city's south side.

David Hunter, 50, superintendent of the building, said he was watching television in the apartment immediately above the one that exploded. He said he smelled "a funny smell" shortly before the blast but paid it no attention.

"The next thing I know, there's an explosion from downstairs," Hunter said. "It was like a bomb. I thought something fell out of the sky. The whole apartment shook.

"I saw the guy outside saying 'The propane exploded,'" Hunter said.

Hunter got his wife, Lennie, and 19-year-old son, Gabriel, out of the apartment. They are temporarily displaced but plan to move into a vacant apartment in the building, Hunter said.

Ricky Miller, 25, who lives in another apartment down the street, said he was smoking outside when heard the explosion and saw "a ball of fire shoot out of that bottom apartment."

He said he saw one man leave the apartment and then go back in to get the man in the wheelchair. One man had skin peeling off his hands, Miller said.

Brumfield said it took about 20 minutes for firefighters to contain the blaze. He said a propane cylinder was found at the scene.

"Whether it was in use or not, that's still under investigation," Brumfield said.

City Fire Marshal Ken Pflug is investigating the explosion.

Greg Kocher: (859) 231-3305. Twitter: @HLpublicsafety.

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