[jean528]

Anybody hear what started the big house fire behind Colony? Anybody hurt? Big clouds of black smoke & 8 fire trucks. Prayers for those involved...

[seashorecaroline]

I have a friend who lives on Rhapsody Lane in Hadley a few houses down from the fire. Apparently something in the garage caused an explosion blowing out all the garage doors and destroying a gas golf cart and two cars. Not sure how much damage was done to the house but the vinyl siding on the house next door melted. Luckily the couple got out of the house and are uninjured. I am sure it will be in the paper tomorrow.

[spk7951]

Coming home from town around 8:30 when we noticed all the emergency equip on Rhapsody. Checked with friends who live next to this house and they heard a loud popping sound around 5:30pm. When they looked outside smoke & flames were coming out of the neighbors garage. Looked to us like a fair amount of damage but daylight will tell better.

[buggyone]

I was driving my golf cart to Cody's this evening and saw all the black smoke and told my wife it looked like it was near Colony. Must have been one huge fire.

I wonder if one of the golf carts was gasoline and somehow exploded and took everything else with it. Gasoline fumes and a spark from an electrical outlet can create a big explosion.

All the homes down there are electric, I think, so there was no natural gas explosion - unless there were propane tanks in the yard.

[KathieI]

Was leaving my house on Ellenton Run around 6:30pm and I use Rhapsody to leave my village. I literally could not get through all the emergency response trucks at the site. They spread over 3 or more blocks, from Rhapsody, down Havana, and down some side streets off of Rhapsody. Had to be at least 20 or more EMS, Fire and Emergency trucks. I did see an emergency ambulance bring a gurney towards the house with no one in it. Very saddened to see all this. Friends told me they saw the smoke from a long distance from Hadley at the other end of the villages.

Tonight coming home at 9:30pm, some of the trucks were still there and they were still directing traffic closing off the street on Rhapsody.

Hope and pray no one was hurt.

[graciegirl]

Could it have been caused by a lightning strike??

[twinklesweep]

In that part of TV, the houses are all electric. I have been in garages of homes with gas water heaters in the garage, and with gas golf carts having no standards (as cars do) and perhaps other issues with gas tanks on these carts, the stench of gasoline can be overwhelming. It's not an arbitrary spark that can cause a fire in this situation. There is a pilot light on all the time in a gas water heater!

[champion6]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

Could it have been caused by a lightning strike??

Probably not lightning.

[zcaveman]

There is an article about it in the Daily Sun today.

[skip0358]

Glad nobody was hurt, the house can be repaired. I've installed smoke alarms in my garage for that reason. I would bet the fire started small and led to the explosion. With a smoke alarm it would have activated and probably have been a lot less damage.

[createquilts]

I never thought about smoke alarms in the garage, great idea. Such a small price if it can avoid a fire spreading.

[justjim]

Good friend in St. Charles 2 years ago his neighbor had same thing happen in his garage. It melted my friends siding too. It was determined something to do with the electric cart that was plug in the garage and fire spread-----neighbor wasn't home. House had to be completely rebuilt.

[dkrhardy]

Originally Posted by createquilts

I never thought about smoke alarms in the garage, great idea. Such a small price if it can avoid a fire spreading.

Nor had I. Alarm is going on my shopping list.
Don

[CaptJohn]

Originally Posted by zcaveman

There is an article about it in the Daily Sun today.

For those of us out of town and don't receive the DS, what does it say?
It's not in their online version that I can find.

[CaptJohn]

Originally Posted by justjim

Good friend in St. Charles 2 years ago his neighbor had same thing happen in his garage.

What 'same thing'?