In the early morning, on Friday, August 19th, homeowner Nathan Close woke up to an explosion that completely destroyed his home in Hampstead, NH. Officials say they believe it was a propane explosion. All the people in the house including Nathen, his son, and their pet dog were able to escape safely.

Due to the intensity of the blast, Nathans’s son got thrown across the kitchen. After an inspection of the home, the Hampstead fire department said the explosion also blew out walls, ripped off siding, sent garage doors flying, and even knocked their home off its foundation.

“He just kept yelling for me, ‘Dad! Get out! Get out!'” Close said. “All the debris was falling all over me when I was in bed.” Close told WMUR News. Close told WMUR this is the house he had lived in for 20 years, he is now at a loss for words because what he used to call home is now all gone.

“You could feel the whole house shaking,” neighbor Timothy McCann told WMUR. “It was like something I’ve never actually felt before. I thought it was a plane crash or something. It shook the whole house.” 

When firefighters arrived, the house was already destroyed and all that was there was a small fire, according to the press release from the Hampstead fire department first responders. The crew arrived on the scene around 7:05 in the morning. Smoke was apparent as well as debris scattered throughout the property. It had been clear there had been some sort of explosion at the residence.

“The fire department assisted two residents to escape from the house and one of the residents sustained minor injuries.” State Fire Marshal Sean P. Toomey said in the press release on the explosion.

The average number of homes that catch fire due to natural gasses like propane is around 4,200 homes a year, Per the National Fire Protection Association. These explosions are usually caused by propane gas leaks in the pipes of your home. Gas-related leaks cause about 40 deaths per year.  

At this point, the Hampstead fire department believes it is likely a propane-related accident that caused the explosion.