WEDDINGTON, N.C. — A man and a woman were hospitalized Sunday morning after a house exploded near Weddington, North Carolina.
Emergency officials in Union County say they were called to the home around 9 a.m. after numerous reports of a large explosion.
Deputies say a severe portion of the home had heavy damage when they arrived on scene.
Officials say that two people were inside the home at the time of the explosion. First responders say that a man was flown to the Wake Forest Baptist Burn Center in critical condition and a woman was taken to a local hospital with injuries that are not considered to be life-threatening.
Channel 9′s Glenn Counts spoke to a neighbor who lived next door to the property for almost 20 years.
“The blast came down through here, we don’t have any power in the house,” Ted Castano said. “My son was standing here brushing his teeth, I think he had the door closed, it’s a miracle this didn’t blow in because you can see the trip in here, so this is the only window that survived on this side.”
His son said he was shocked by the explosion.
“I had no idea, it was almost not even a ringing, it was so loud that my ears just went completely silent for a little bit there, and then started ringing,” said Ryan Castano.
Ryan said he initially thought it was their home that exploded. He made his way outside and saw his neighbors come out of the wreckage.
“All these boards were clumped all around here and he kind of just crawled out up through here. The fire department quickly came and grabbed him out,” Ryan said.
The victims were described as an elderly couple. Thankfully, they’re expected to recover.
“It’s pretty tough ‘cause we care about him, he’s almost like family, he’s lived next door. All the neighbors are close, we’ve always gotten along,” Ted said.
Ryan showed Channel 9 where their neighbor’s garage door flew up about 30 feet into their tree.
The family believes their property was lifted off the foundation, so at this point, it’s a big question whether they will be able to come back and live in the home.
Officials say that this was an isolated incident and is now contained. The Union County Fire Marshal’s Office, the Union County Sheriff’s Office, and the ATF are investigating to determine the cause of the explosion.
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