SEQUIM, Wash. — Investigators are still working to figure out what caused a home in Sequim to explode on Tuesday night, killing one man and damaging several neighboring houses.
The house on the 100 block of June Place was totally destroyed.
Clallam County deputies say the scope of the explosion was massive. Fire crews reported getting nearly 100 911 calls related to the incident.
Jesse Furbee was a neighbor of the man who was killed. He said the force of the explosion hit his home hard.
"All of a sudden just felt like getting hit by a freight train," Furbee said.
The first thing Furbee did was make sure his kids were ok. Then he ran outside to try and help.
"Pretty much the whole thing was in flames in about 45 seconds, the entire house, property was just engulfed in flames," Furbee said.
When Clallam County firefighters reached the home, they saw flames shooting 40 feet into the air from propane tanks. Pieces of the home were thrown 100 feet in all directions.
"It looked like it was snowing, the aftermath of everything, I could see a sheet of plywood that was flying through the air that landed on a neighboring house," Furbee said.
Multiple homes near the explosion were damaged. The windows on Furbee's barn were broken and the foundation was knocked off.
"All of the pictures, clocks, everything on the walls fell down, just shook it," Furbee said.
The man who lived in the home was found dead in the aftermath of the explosion.
The sheriff's office said the explosion appeared to have originated from the garage, but the cause is still unknown. Deputies called the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms for help. Federal investigators ruled the explosion accidental and say there's no foul play suspected.
The family of the man who was killed blocked off the road to the home on Wednesday to stop people from driving by. The man has not been officially identified. Family and neighbors say he was a good man.
"It's really sad, it really is, because he's such a nice guy," Furbee said.