2 dead after home explodes, catches fire in Grayson County
A North Texas home exploded and burst into flames overnight, drawing first responders from at least eight agencies to a neighborhood in rural Grayson County near Van Alstyne.
Two people, a man and a woman, died in the explosion just after 1 a.m. Monday. The remains of the couple are in Dallas awaiting official identification. Meanwhile, fire investigators are trying to confirm the cause of the deadly blast.
"You don't really expect to drive down your road and, you know, see a house in pieces, especially when you don't know what's going on," a young neighbor told CBS affiliate KXII.
According to Grayson County Fire Marshal John Weda, community members heard a "boom" in the 600 block of Stone Marshall Road. He said firefighters from several local departments fought the blaze for two hours and discovered the deceased couple.
CBS News Texas approached loved ones who did not want to talk about the double fatal fire.
Neighbor Mark Anderson, who lives behind the couple's home with his wife, said they heard the destructive sound.
"Pray for the families that we know. The neighbors, they're good people," Anderson said. "This is just a horrible tragedy."
He said it shook their home and caused minor damage. Community members captured the explosion's sound on surveillance video as far as six miles away.
Weda said the home used propane tanks for appliances. Preliminarily, he said it's possible a leak may have caused the deadly blast. The investigation into the fire is ongoing.
Video from CBS News Texas Chopper, which flew over the scene Monday afternoon, showed a three-car garage still standing next to a large field of debris. The remnants of the rest of the home were charred from the fire.
In a Facebook post, the volunteer fire department in Gunter, Texas, said it was one of several departments from Grayson and Collin counties that the Van Alstyne Fire Department called upon for mutual aid. No fire hydrants were near the home, so firefighters had to shuttle water to the scene.