THOMPSON, Conn. --
An explosion was reported at a garage in Thompson on Monday afternoon.
It took nearly a dozen fire departments from three states to extinguish the blaze.
John Minarik said he he was in the garage that he built 15 years ago working on clearing out some boxes shortly before the fire broke out.
"I was trying to clean some of (the boxes) out, but they cleaned me out," he said.
Minarik said he went into his home to have lunch when his grandson, who lives nearby, ran over.
"When the smoke was coming he came and got me and we went," Minarik said. "But it was too late. At first it was just smokey. There were no flames at first."
However, the garage held several propane tanks and a 250-gallon oil tank.
"There was a lot of black smoke. Then when the tank went off, there were lots of flames shooting everywhere," Minarik said.
Firefighters had been ventilating the top of the garage when the fireball ripped through the roof.
Minarik said he's lived in the home for decades. His parents and his children all lived in the home. Minarik said he will stay with family for a few days and said he is vowing to rebuild.
The fire is under investigation.
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