Roswell, GA – Two men are being treated for severe burns after the home they were renting in Roswell exploded Tuesday night.
The explosion happened around 8:45 p.m. in the Aspens subdivision on Pine Grove Pointe Drive.
Paramedics rushed two of the men, both in their early- to mid-20s, to Grady Memorial Hospital where they are being treated for second and third-degree burns. CBS46 has learned their names are Brendan Morton and Patrick Sammons.
A third roommate, Win Reid, was treated at the scene for minor injuries.
Reid told CBS46 News that he and his roommates had just recently moved into the rental home last weekend. The men, graduates of Georgia College and State University, had bought a washer and dryer on Craigslist and were planning to hook them up in the basement.
However, they discovered a horrible, moldy smell coming from a tube connected to the washing machine. Tuesday night, in an attempt to mask the odor, one of the roommates lit a candle, which apparently sparked the explosion.
Reid said firefighters speculate that if there was a gas build-up in the home, the typical sulfur-like smell of natural gas might’ve been overpowered by the smell of mold from the washing machine.