Clinton, TN – Sheriff’s deputies in Anderson County say a homeowner was injured when a house exploded in in Clinton on Monday afternoon.
The blast was reported just before 1 p.m. on Hidden Hills Drive. The Anderson County Sheriff’s Office says the homeowner was lighting a gas insert, which caused the explosion.
The homeowner was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. The house sustained significant damage.
Powell Clinch Utility District says they surveyed the area and found no leaks. They say the piping inside the home was at fault.
Neighbors within three miles described feeling their homes “shake” after the explosion.
“I’m probably about three quarters of a mile from here. It shook our house, we had a few things fall in our house onto the floor from the explosion,” said James Freels, a neighbor.
Other neighbors expressed their shock at the damage and that the homeowner survived, many calling it a “miracle.”
“We’re just grateful. We had a short prayer with [the homeowner] before we left, I said ‘…we gonna make it’ and he said, ‘you got it’,” said Gary Bowers, a longtime friend and neighbor to the homeowner.
Bowers said the homeowners were in “good spirits” and that the neighborhood was ready to help them however they could.
“It was a horrific explosion,” said Bowers.
The Marlow Volunteer Fire Department Chief, Stephanie Fox, said fire investigators will only begin work inside the house after a structural engineer reviews the damage to the main house. Fox said it is dangerous to go inside the main home.
Windows on the first floor were blown out, glass in the front yard on the lawn.
ACSO received assistance from the Marlow Volunteer Fire Department and Powell Clinch Utility District, both crews on the scene shortly after the explosion.
The case is still under investigation.