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One man was killed in an early morning explosion that destroyed an Atwood home.
Neighbors were awakened at 1:15 a.m. today by a blast from a home at 741 N. CR 700W, Atwood. The owner of the home, Phil Start, 55, was pronounced dead at the scene by Kosciusko County Coroner Larry Ladd.
Atwood fire units were first to arrive at the scene and found the residence engulfed in flames. Firemen fought the fire for 20 minutes before finding the victim. He was outside the wall of the home, and may have been blown out from the force of the blast.
"I've never seen an explosion like that," said Atwood Fire Chief Mike Harmon. "I've seen a lot of fires, but I've never seen one blown apart like that."
The explosion scorched trees, broke off limbs and threw debris across the yard. The fire was confined to the house and resulted in a total loss of the floors, walls and ceilings.
"Everything was gone in a few minutes," said neighbor Kelly Skees. "It was one massive fireball."
The State Fire Marshal's office is digging through the rubble to determine the cause of the blast. "We are being careful and checking out all the possible accidental causes," said investigator Frederick J. Sumpter.
Investigators from NIPSCO will check the major appliances, which are among the few things left in the rubble. State and local investigators will continue to search for the cause of the explosion and fire.
Also assisting at the scene were the Mentone and Etna Green fire departments, Mentone EMS, state police, Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department and Squad 70 fire investigation team.
