WILLIAMS, IN – Shannon Baxter and residents are counting their blessings after a powerful explosion and fire destroyed their home early Sunday morning, leaving no one injured.
Volunteer firefighters from Indian Creek and Marion Township were dispatched at 6:19 a.m. to the 100 block of Twin Ponds Road. When they arrived, they found the house fully engulfed in flames.
“They are fortunate,” said Indian Creek Volunteer Fire Department Chief Monty Wright. “There were six people in the house. The explosion blew out the windows and knocked Shannon out of bed.”
The fire was too intense for firefighters to enter the home safely, so they focused on an exterior attack to prevent the flames from spreading to a nearby garage.
“The fire was too dangerous to enter,” Chief Wright explained. “We worked from the outside to protect nearby structures.”
Three vehicles were damaged in the blaze, with one truck sustaining significant heat damage. Unfortunately, the homes and cars were destroyed.
Chief Wright suspects a gas leak near the furnace may have caused the explosion.
“We believe there was a small gas leak, and the gas accumulated. When the temperature dropped, the furnace kicked on, triggering the explosion,” he said. “But this is just our initial speculation. We’ll await the insurance company’s investigation to confirm the cause.”
