First responders work at the scene of a a home explosion on East Miami-Shelby Road at Bulle Road on Saturday afternoon.
By Mike Ullery and Sheryl Roadcap
PIQUA — One man was injured and displaced after an explosion ripped his two-story wood-frame home apart on Saturday afternoon.
Fletcher and Lockington Fire Departments were dispatched to a home in the 15000 block of Miami-Shelby County Line Road at Bulle Road. around 12:30 p.m., Saturday, May 20, for a reported explosion and structure fire. The home is on the Shelby County side of the Miami and Shelby County line.
Arriving units found an explosion had blown out the front and side exterior walls causing extensive damage.
The single resident of the home, Richard Hague, was transported by a ground medic to a Kettering Health Piqua hospital for treatment. He has since been released, said Fletcher Fire Chief Tony Bensman.
The house is a total loss, Benman said, with the loss estimated between $65,000 to $70,000.
Bensman said the State Fire Marshal’s Office was called to assist in finding the cause of the explosion and a structural engineer will be contacted to evaluate the damage.
The investigation is still underway and the cause of the explosion is yet to be determined.
