Blast blows NC man from home destroyed by fire

NEWPORT, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina man said an explosion blew him from his home before it was destroyed by fire Thursday.

Deputy Chief Courtney Wade with the Morehead City Fire Department said crews responded to the call about a possible explosion around 4:30 p.m. Thursday, WCTI-TV reported.

Benny Weeks, 59, said he was the only person home and had just finished his Thanksgiving dinner when the blast occurred. The laundry room smoke detector went off and when Weeks went to wave a towel at it, he said there was 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 said. There was nothing to salvage after the blast, he said.

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