Bristol, VA – Officials say a propane tank appears to be responsible for an explosion that shook a Bristol, Virginia, neighborhood Thursday morning.
Washington County, Virginia, Sheriff Fred Newman said that investigation and statements point to a propane tank causing a home on 20745 Campground Road to explode while a family of three was getting ready for the day. Newman said statements revealed the family had been having trouble with their furnace Wednesday night and the family believed they had turned off the gas that fed the furnace.
(The gas) leaked into the basement, and this morning when they were getting up, there was a spark that ignited the gas and demolished the entire house, Newman said.
The house was leveled as a result of the explosion, which blew debris into the street and damaged surrounding homes and caught nearby power lines on fire, Newman said. The family a mother, father and son were taken to the Bristol Regional Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.
Looking at that house, I would not have thought that anyone would have survived, Newman said.
The WCSO was aided by the Goodson/Kinderhook Fire Department and the Tennessee Highway Patrol.