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DRAPER, Utah (AP) — A fiery blast gutted a northern Utah home Friday morning, sending one person to the hospital and slamming debris into nearby homes, authorities said.
Emergency crews arrived as flames engulfed the Draper house at about 7:30 a.m. Friday. The man was flown to the hospital by helicopter.
No details were available on what could have caused the fire or the extent of the man's injuries, said Unified Fire Authority spokesman Chris Atkin. Investigators do not know the man's age or whether he lived in the home.
The blast also damaged a neighboring house to the north, he said, and officials ordered evacuations of neighboring homes as a precaution. Glass, toys and debris were strewn near the home Friday morning.
Sean Miner, who lives next door to the charred home, said he heard a boom before wreckage slammed into his own house. He says he saw the injured man stumble to the screen door before the patio beneath him crashed as he fell.
The man was covered in soot and blood, he said. Helicopters and crews arrived moments later.
"It's heartbreaking," Miner said. "It's just somebody's life. It's just, all their possessions are gone. I don't have words for it at this time. I'm kind of in shock right now."
Neighbor James Banford tells the Salt Lake Tribune that the "tremendous, I mean a tremendous, explosion" melted the siding on his own house and blew out his bedroom window.
"I'm in shock," he said, surveying the damage to his home.
David Politis, who lives a block away, said he heard the blast and ran to help. He saw two men surrounding another whose clothes had burned off.
He gave a blanket and water to the injured man before crews arrived, he told the Tribune.
An investigation continues into what may have sparked the explosion.
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