DETROIT — Fire officials blame a stolen furnace for a house explosion in Detroit overnight.
The house was vacant, and the owners were cleaning up the property for the next renters, WXYZ reported. The owners changed the locks Wednesday, and the furnace was stolen sometime between Wednesday and early Friday morning.
The furnace was ripped out of the wall, fire officials said, causing gas to fill the house. It is believed the water heater triggered the explosion.
BREAKING Update: Detroit Fire Dept. says home that exploded at 3am likely caused by gas leak inside the vacant house, under renovations. pic.twitter.com/Y0SI2nGyxh
— Shelley Childers (@ShelleyChilders) May 26, 2017
Neighbors were awakened by the force of the blast. A neighboring property received extensive damage from the blast, WXYZ reported.
No one was injured in the explosion, fire officials said.
Cox Media Group