Benton, KS – Investigators said a propane leak is the likely cause of an explosion that leveled a Butler County home.
Sheriff Kelly Herzet said a family was away when the explosion happened around 5:00 a.m. at 16501 S. K-254. Search dogs were brought to the scene, to determine if any intruder might have entered the home.
Herzet added a home east of the explosion scene had its windows blown out by the force of the blast.
The homeowners currently live in Arkansas but their son lives nearby.
“The most important thing is nobody was hurt, things are just things,” Nate Partridge said.
Partridge is a volunteer firefighter and says that home explosions are rare.
The noise was heard county wide. Herzet tells KAKE News people 20 miles away heard the blast.
“Oh it woke us all up, even the animals,” said Julia Garcia.
“This place just vibrated and blew some stuff off the wall,” said Tom Leasure.
The home is a total loss.