GASTONIA, N.C. — A Gastonia homeowner said a gas leak caused his house to explode.
That homeowner told firefighters he walked into the house and smelled propane. As soon as he left, he said, the gas ignited, starting a massive fire.
Firefighters said the man had a 100-gallon propane tank inside his home.
The homeowner escaped major injury, but did go to the hospital as a precaution.
"If you're using portable heaters and such," department spokesman Jim Landis said, "make sure they've been serviced and they don't leak. In this case, the man did the right thing, smelled the propane gas and got out of his house."