Halifax, NC – A house on King Street in Halifax exploded.
The house was unoccupied at the time of the explosion shortly after 4 p.m. Friday, and officials reported that no injuries occurred.
Halifax and Enfield fire departments and Halifax County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene. The house was aflame when firefighters arrived and was extinguished in 15 minutes. After extinguishing the flames, the firefighters cordoned off the area for safety reasons.
The explosion launched glass and shrapnel out into the street and into neighboring yards. One of the neighboring houses bears scorch marks on its siding as a result of the blast. A preliminary investigation conducted by the Halifax Fire Department determined the cause to be a propane leak that slowly filled the house and was ignited by a faulty heater.
Employees at the Halifax Historic Site several blocks away heard the explosion as they were closing the site for the evening. It was about four o’clock, interpreter Natalie Baldwin said. Carl [Burke] opened the door to leave and there was this big boom. My first impression was that someone had hit the building because it shook.
Carl Burke was outside locking the gates of the site when the explosion occurred. I had just stepped out when I heard what sounded like an explosion, he said.
I wasn’t sure what it was. I closed the gate and heard a siren before I made it back inside shortly followed by another.
The remains of the house have drawn numerous onlookers who slow their vehicles and even stop in the road to stare at the site.