Fire officials: Grill tank explosion brings down Raleigh home

RALEIGH (WTVD) -- Where do you keep your grill?

Fire officials on Friday confirmed to ABC11 that a small garage fire turned catastrophic when a liquid propane tank exploded at a home on Timberlake Drive on Raleigh's east side.

READ MORE: HOME BURNS ON TIMBERLAKE DRIVE IN RALEIGH

New Hope Fire Chief Jimmy McCauley said the LP tank, a commodity used by many for their barbecue grills, was stored in the homeowner's garage.

"Do not store these tanks inside the house," McCauley asserted to ABC11. "Keep them outside so that if there is a problem indoors it won't be affected."

Firefighters arrived at the home located in the 2000 block of Timberlake Drive shortly after 9:00 p.m. on Thursday.

The two story house sits in an unincorporated area of Wake County, east of the Beltline. Crews from both New Hope and Raleigh Fire Department contributed to firefighting efforts.

According to neighbors, three people lived inside the home and all made it out safely. McCauley explained the homeowner smelled the smoke, got everyone outside the house, and then the propane tank exploded.

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"It sounded like fireworks or gunshots," neighbor Elizabeth Harris told ABC11. "I picked up the phone and called 911 immediately."

Complicating efforts for firefighters was the fact that the closest fire hydrant was a half mile away.

Instead, crews relied on tankers for water, but the chief said the house was already fully involved because of the propane tank explosion.