TEMPLE, Okla_ A house
explosion in Temple
killed an elderly man Tuesday.
The explosion
happened around 2:00 PM Tuesday. We have unofficial reports that the man who
lived in the house heated it with propane. Neighbors think that's what caused
the explosion.
7News Reporter Kathryn Gisi spoke with Alex Steward. He said he was
visiting his mother-in-law at the house next door, when the house went up in
flames.
"I was standing
there in the living room," Steward said. "It sounded like a bomb went off. We
jumped up, and my wife looked out the window. So, we run out around the front
of the house, which takes about a minute, and it was all engulfed in flames. We
couldn't help him. It was blown, with the walls out and everything."
Authorities
weren't releasing much information at the scene. The scene was so chaotic our
news crew wasn't able to get very close to the site. The Undersheriff said
until investigators got to the scene, they would not be able to release a cause
or even who the victim was. The locals seemed to have known him. There were
neighbors looking on in every direction. Undersheriff David Johnston said a
tragedy like this will really shake this small community.
"This is
the first house explosion like this I've seen," Johnston said. "It's one of the community
members. It's family."
Again, this
house was on the corner of Minnesota and Walnut
in Temple.
We'll be sure to keep you updated when we find out from investigators the
cause of the explosion.
