Gas leak may have led to explosion that leveled Yreka home

YREKA, Calif., — Although few details have been released through official channels, Yreka residents were left talking today about what some described as a “massive” explosion that led to a home being completely destroyed last night, Thursday, Oct. 28. The fire, which consumed the residence – burning it to the ground, happened in a residential neighborhood in the area of Terrace Drive and Scenic Court, according to Siskiyou County fire and rescue agencies.

Last night’s destructive explosion and subsequent blaze followed another, deadly residential structure fire that occurred just three days earlier. Tragically, that fire killed a toddler and destroyed a home early Monday morning, Oct. 25.

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Firefighters and other emergency personnel were alerted to the blaze after public safety dispatchers were inundated with countless calls from area residents who reported a large explosion, followed by walls of flames soaring into the sky at a private residence.

As firefighters were headed to the scene, they confirmed seeing a huge orange glow in the sky and quickly located a home that was fully engulfed in flames.

A propane gas leak is suspected of causing a massive explosion that leveled a Yreka home last night. No injuries have been reported. Les Potter photos

Although firefighters eventually managed to extinguish the blaze, the home – which collapsed in on itself before ultimately burning to the ground – was considered a total loss.

A woman and her dog, who reportedly had just recently moved into the home, managed to escape without injuries according to area residents who know the victim and other witnesses from the scene.

Home surveillance footage since shared to social media by several area residents showed a massive explosion that shook area homes and sent a fireball soaring high into the sky.

An unidentified witness who spoke from the scene as the home was still burning said area residents had smelled propane coming from the home earlier in the day and that workers had been out to the home to search for the source of and attempt to mitigate a possible leak. It was not immediately clear who it was that responded to the home earlier in the day.

Another Yreka resident, Frank Borg, who says he lives across the street from the home that was destroyed, later shared on social media that the resident of the home that burned smelled propane again that evening and had exited the residence with her dog just moments before the home was leveled by an explosion that was felt for many miles.

“Luckily they smelled the propane gas and went outside, and then it exploded,” Borg described; adding, “No one was injured, but there is a huge mess scattered all over our neighborhood and some broken windows.”

SEE RELATED: Child found dead inside Yreka home destroyed by blaze

Residents from as far as a mile or more away have since reported both hearing – and feeling – the tremendous shock wave that followed the house-leveling explosion, with some nearby windows being reported shattered.

No further details were immediately available and officials are continuing to investigate the cause of the explosion and fire.

This is a developing story that will be updated as new information becomes available.

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 50, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS).

Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County-based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 30 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 18 grandchildren.

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