Two residents of a home in the 700 block of Stone Marshall Road near Van Alstyne are dead after their house exploded in the early morning hours of October 28.
Neighbors near the Collin County-Grayson County line were awakened about 1:15 a.m. by a loud noise that “sounded like a bomb went off,” according to Randy Phillips, whose nearby home suffered minor damage from the blast. He said his window was shattered, and several items broke when they fell off the shelves in his home.
“It sounded almost like a car had driven into the house,” he told Fox 4 KDFW.
Phillips said he stepped outside and saw huge flames lighting up the night sky from the neighbor’s home just over the treeline.
Several fire departments responded to the blaze and prevented the flames from reaching other homes. Responding departments included the Gunter Volunteer Fire and Rescue, Van Alstyne Fire Department, Tom Bean Fire Rescue, Howe Fire Department, Whiteright Fire Department, Anna Fire Department, Westminster Fire Department, and the Grayson County Fire Marshal.
Because there were no fire hydrants nearby, fire crews had to use their tanker trucks to shuttle water from the nearest hydrant, as The Dallas Morning News reported. The fire was extinguished within a few hours.
The extent of the damage became more clear in the morning light. Except for the garage, the house was completely leveled, and debris was scattered over a large area.
The Grayson County Fire Marshal John Weda confirmed that two people died in the explosion and fire, but their names have not been released to the public. Their bodies were found among the debris from the explosion and have been sent to the Dallas Medical Examiner’s Office for autopsies. No foul play is suspected, but the cause of the explosion is still under investigation.
The fire marshal said that propane gas was used in the home, and at this time it appears that a gas leak may have triggered the explosion. The Texas Railroad Commission is joining the Grayson County Fire Marshall’s Office in the investigation.
Neighbors described the two victims as kind and wonderful people who loved their home, per Fox 4.
