CLAREMONT, N.C. — A criminal investigation is underway on Wednesday after an explosion and fire destroyed a home in Catawba County.
Fire investigators say a couple has life-threatening injuries, but their 14-year old daughter managed to escape the fire.
Firefighters got the call around 4:30 a.m. along Shook Road north of Claremont.
The fire marshal, SBI agents, and sheriff deputies were at the home trying to determine what caused the explosion, which happened inside the bedroom where the couple was sleeping.
Neighbors described hearing several explosions and saw flames shooting 10-15 feet above the mobile home.
A man who was inside the home says the explosion was so strong it knocked him off the couch in the living room and split a wall inside the home.
He rushed to get his grandmother out, but his cousin and her husband were badly injured by the fire.
Investigators do not have a cause for the explosion. They confirmed that the gas was not running in the home.
“What I heard was in the house, because it exploded and shook the whole house,” said neighbor Millie Stroud. “Flames shooting out of the top of the house. I could understand why it happened.”
This is a developing story. Check back with wsoctv.com and watch Eyewitness News for updates.
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