Posted on 01/30/2012 7:26:31 AM PST by Jeff Chandler
Explosion Destroys 2 Homes in Chandler
Updated: Monday, 30 Jan 2012, 7:46 AM MST Published : Monday, 30 Jan 2012, 4:44 AM MST
CHANDLER, Ariz. - An explosion near Cooper and Chandler Boulevard destroys two homes.
People in the area said they heard loud explosions and debris from the first home scattered to the house next door.
The Red Cross says a woman living inside the second home was able to get out of the burning house safely.
The owner of the first home could not be found. Police are describing him as an older man who lives alone and he was not in the house late Sunday night. His name was not released.
"It appears that no one was inside the house, but we're not going to completely rule that out until we go completely through the entire house step by step. But at this point, it indicates that nobody was inside," said David Raymer of the Chandler Police Department.
People in four homes across the street from the fire were displaced because Salt River Project crews were called to turn off the power for the night.
The Chandler Fire Department says the fire is suspicious because of the violent way it happened -- the explosion leveled the first home. Police say they've never seen anything like this before.
(Excerpt) Read more at myfoxphoenix.com ...
Did Walter White move to AZ?
That was the first thing I thought: meth lab.
Speaking of Walter White, we have been watching Malcom in the Middle reruns on Netflix. It is amazing how different of a character he plays from the two shows.
methlabmethlabmethlab ;)
The houses are built too close together - apparently the houses themselves sit on narrow bands of land so the houses are a few feet apart. When one house blows up, the cascading debris falls on nearby houses and causes nearby fire(s).
—That was the first thing I thought: meth lab.—
We have got to do something about all these irresponsible people running meth labs out of their home. I’ve found it can be quite safe if one simply follows careful precautions.
A water heater could do this.
I have heard some people call them hot water heaters but if the water was already hot why would you heat it?”
All-electric homes.
A co-worker had his house damaged once, by the exploding neighbor’s house. Years later, during their divorce proceedings, the truth came out.
They blew out the stove pilot light, and turned it on high...and left a resistance spaceheater on a timer...their crazy insurance fraud plan actually worked...until the wife fingered the husband during the divorce.
Lots of junk in the back yard, and a swimming pool filled in with dirt.
Numerous in-ground pools in the neighborhood, some not being cared for.
Neighborhood lawns generally iffy.
I lived about a dozen miles NW of there in the early 70’s. At that time most of the outlying areas areas, like this one, were agriculture or desert.
I love Hal from Malcolm in the middle. He was also in Saving Private Ryan..
Most are rock. If you look at my yards from Google Maps the ground looks like iffy lawn, but from the ground level it's well kept rock.
I do worry about the pools--mosquitoes, etc.
The neighborhood is quiet and safe, and most homes are well maintained, but here and there you'll find one that somebody walked away from.
Erasmus Tempe, here. ≤}B^) (Actually not since '75.)
I'm familiar with desert yard landscaping, but never checked how it looked on GEarth. Good call.
That doesn't matter really. Any water heater has the potential to explode. What keeps it from happening on an electric water heater is at least two safety features. The first is the thermostat. If it sticks closed though the heater will not shut off and water will convert too steam. For that reason they also have a Pop Off or pressure release valve. It's the weird looking valve on top with a very short lever on it usually. By design if it works right it will pop off and release the pressure from the tank long before it is an explosion danger.
However they sometimes leak. Persons who are not experienced will Cap the valve off to fix the leak and that can lead too an explosion. A water heater explosion can level a home.
But this one had fire though. An elderly man not at home? If he was on tank oxygen and had left the house {taking a portable unit} and forget to turn the tank valve off that would explain an explosion like the FD had not seen happen before. If anything in the home ignited {even a switch arcing} after the room became saturated with oxygen it would literally disintegrate.
ATF is investigating, saying they believe it was intentional.
The one where you live could have been METH I suppose anything is possible. Some cookers love to make it in someone elses home. Elderly preferred. They come in hired as assistants by family too make meals, clean, etc, and set up labs. The elderly owners don't realize what is going on.
It's hard too say what officials qualify as being intentional now days though. Just an example if someone intentionally left their portable gas heater on and went too for a quick trip too the store and it started a fire, is the fire considered intentional or an accident?
This was not a "fire". This was an explosion. A big one.
Wow, was he the guy with the beard ?
I never would have caught that.
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