Fire and rescue crews in Morehead City responded to a blast that threw a man from his home, according to neighbors in the area.

Deputy Chief Courtney Wade with the Morehead City Fire Department said crews responded to the call about a possible explosion with injures around 4:30 Thursday afternoon. Officials cleared the scene at about 9 p.m.

Benny Weeks, 59, was the only person inside the home when the blast happened. He had just finished his Thanksgiving dinner when the fire started. Weeks also said he is grateful to be alive after being thrown out of his home from the blast.

"The smoke detector went off in the laundry room behind me, and I went to wave a towel at the smoke detector, and when I did, it was just a big explosion. It blew me out of the back screen door onto the deck and followed by just fire everywhere and the house burnt down," Weeks described.

A neighbor shared a picture of the blast with NewsChannel12.

Weeks said there was nothing he could salvage from the blast; he had to borrow clothes from a friend for the night.

Authorities on the scene said the cause of the fire is still unknown.

Officials with Carteret County and Morehead City are investigating the cause of the explosion.