Explosion Damages Home

A 65 year-old Golden Valley resident is fortunate not to have been injured when her home exploded moments after she left at 11:05 am Monday morning.  According to the occupant at 4683 Stewart Mountain Road, she had just exited the home and gotten into her car when she heard an explosion and saw smoke coming from the home.  Fire Chief Thomas O’Donohue reports firefighters arrived to find black smoke coming from the bedroom area window that had been blown out from the force of the blast, and the rear wall of the house has been pushed out nearly 12-inches where it met the attic area.  Firefighters entered the home and quickly extinguished the fire that had consumed two beds and caused moderate fire damage and heavy smoke damage throughout the home.  The Fire Marshal was summoned and remains on-scene to determine the cause of the fire. In all, ten firefighters responded to the fire. The occupant was checked by paramedics, although she refused transport to the hospital.