Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Doorbell camera captures mysterious explosion that flattened Arizona mansion

‘Windows broken in all the houses around it. Foundation damage, there was a substantial explosion,’ neighbour says

Gustaf Kilander
Washington, DC
Monday 07 February 2022 10:57 EST
Comments
Ring Doorbell catches Phoenix home explosion near Piestewa Peak

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A multi-million dollar home in Phoenix, Arizona has been completely destroyed after it was levelled by a mysterious explosion that was caught on a neighbour’s doorbell camera.

The footage shows the home going up in flames in seconds as debris can be seen flying in all directions.

The explosion took place on Saturday at 4.36pm at a home in the Phoenix Mountain Preserves, according to ABC15 Arizona.

“The house exploded and went away,” neighbour Ron Shafer told Fox 10. “Windows broken in all the houses around it. Foundation damage, there was a substantial explosion.”

Jeff Buel lives in the home closest to the destroyed building. He told ABC15 that he was “just sitting in the living room” along with his family when they heard a “huge explosion”.

He believed his garage to be totalled until he saw the damage to the neighbouring property, leading to fears that the residents might have been in the home at the time of the explosion.

A look at the aftermath of a Phoenix home explosion near Piestewa Peak

“We went to the perimeter, and we were yelling into the house because I didn’t want to go inside. We didn’t know if there was another explosion or something,” Mr Buel told ABC15. “So we were just yelling, ‘Is anybody in there? Can you hear me?’ And we didn’t get a response. Fortunately, the owners were not there. So very blessed.”

While the home was completely destroyed in the explosion and neighbouring properties were also damaged, no injuries have been reported.

Firefighters were brought in from Tempe, Glendale, Scottsdale, and Phoenix to fight the ensuing flames throughout the night.

Phoenix Fire Department Captain Todd Keller told ABC15 that six homes were damaged in the blast and that residents in four or five of the homes were evacuated.

“We have our Phoenix Fire Investigation Task Force ... working with structural engineers” and “the Fire Marshall with the City of Phoenix to help determine a cause,” Captain Keller said.

According to the fire captain, Southwest Gas said the home had no supply of natural gas from the company. It remains unclear if propane was in the home at the time of the explosion.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in