A napping man got a rude wake-up call Saturday when something exploded, sending flames racing through his home.
"I heard this loud explosion and that's what got me up and out of bed and when I went to the living room opening all I could hear was popping and the flames and the black smoke going everywhere, " said Richard Supernant.
The flames erupted around 1 p.m. at a duplex on Gay Rio Drive in Winter Gardens. The homeowner says the fire grew at an alarming rate. “I went back in and put my shorts and slippers on. My cat went flying by me and then I couldn’t find her so I had to go out the back door," said Supernant. "I just thought I got to get out of the house.”
Two other people were in the duplex at the time. “Other neighbors came up to help out and they were able to evacuate the other occupants,” said Lakeside Fire District Division Chief Andy Parr. “They also found a cat which they rescued and secured a dog.”
Investigators are looking into what caused the explosion, but the homeowner has some idea, “I think it was one of those propane tanks out by the barbeque.”
The homeowner says the whole ordeal was terrifying. “A bit scary? It was a lot scary! I’ve never seen anything go up so fast,” said Supernant. "I know it’s an all-wood house but holy smokes! It was just amazing.”
It took firefighters about 30 minutes to knock down the flames. No one was hurt.
