Reno Firefighters respond to House Explosion, one dead

RENO, Nev.—An explosion and fire destroyed a Reno house on Wednesday, killing one person and shaking an entire neighborhood.

Reno police, fire officials and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms were investigating the cause of the blast that blew out the windows of the single-family home at about 10 a.m., sending shards of glass across the street.

Reno Fire Department spokesman Steve Frady said they’re trying to determine the cause and circumstances of the death.

The explosion caused significant structural damage to the house on the city’s northwest side, making it difficult to battle the blaze that firefighters were able to keep from spreading to neighboring homes, he said.

“At one point, firefighters were pulled out of the house because of the potential for collapse of the room,” he said.

Joe Stoltz, a neighbor, said the initial explosion was followed by a series of smaller ones that rattled windows.

“The initial explosion was big,” Stoltz told the Reno Gazette-Journal. “It shook the neighborhood. It shook the floors. Absolutely, I was freaked out.”

Authorities said they had not identified the victim. Neighbors said a man in his early 40s lived in the home alone.
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Story by AP / photo via Reno Gazette