Dilworth home explosion leaves mountain of rubble

CHARLOTTE — The Charlotte Fire Department was called to a house fire near Freedom Park after an explosion was reported early Friday morning.

The fire was reported just after 6 a.m. at a home on Lombardy Circle, which is just off of East Boulevard.

Neighbors told Channel 9’s Eli Brand that they heard a loud explosion and felt the rumble through their homes when the fire started.

The Charlotte Fire Department said about 60 firefighters were on the scene, and they had to battle with gas leaks and “structural instability” during the fire response.

MEDIC said first responders were called for an explosion. One neighbor was hurt during the incident, but they were treated and released.

CFD told Channel 9 that nobody died in the explosion or fire.

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Chopper 9 Skyzoom flew over the aftermath of the explosion and saw debris strewn across the lot. A nearby house was also damaged by the flames.

East Boulevard was shut down in both directions at Lombardy Circle. The Charlotte Fire Department asked for people nearby to yield to emergency vehicles around the scene. The busy road reopened late morning.

Channel 9 could see smoke from the fire through our tower camera near N. Tryon Street.

Chopper 9 Skyzoom later flew over the home, which you can see below was completely destroyed.

‘Huge blaze’

“We just really heard a loud crash at first,” said Isaac Abee, a neighbor.

It wasn’t how Abee expected to be awakened.

“I just walk out and sure enough, I look to the left and just see a huge blaze coming from the left,” Abee said.

The explosion made nearby homes shake, with some being damaged.

The property is for sale for nearly $700,000 and was listed about seven weeks ago, according to Zillow.

A neighbor said it was an abandoned house that was about to be torn down.

The State Bureau of Investigation was at the scene Friday, and an excavator was moving debris.

A gas line at the property was active at the site, according to Piedmont Natural Gas.

Officials added in part, in a statement, that they “tested and checked the Piedmont Natural Gas lines in the area, and no natural gas leaks on our lines were detected.”

Water trouble

Neighbors were concerned about how long it took for firefighters to get access to water from nearby hydrants.

A neighbor sent Channel 9 a video of fire hoses connected to a hydrant. They were flat with no water going through them.

She said it took roughly 10 minutes to get water flowing.

Charlotte Water said in a statement that there were issues and “Firefighters encountered challenges accessing water from nearby hydrants.”

Charlotte Water officials went on to say they are trying to find out how that happened but noted that “A contractor was also working in the area at the time of the incident, and their activity is being reviewed as part of the broader investigation.”

The cause of the explosion is under investigation.

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