76-year-old survives blast that knocked nearby house off foundation, SC officials say

A 76-year-old “miraculously” survived an explosion that ripped apart his South Carolina home and knocked a neighboring house from its foundation, officials said.

The massive explosion sparked a flood of 911 calls, as people more than 20 miles away reported hearing the blast on Monday, Dec. 5, according to Colleton County Fire-Rescue.

Firefighters were called at about 8 p.m. after the 76-year-old tried to fix a leaking gas line at his home near Smoaks, roughly 65 miles northwest of Charleston. Officials believe the gas line caused the explosion.

First responders arrived at the scene on Community Avenue and reported that “the area looked similar to a tornado blowing through.”

The 76-year-old’s “large home was completely destroyed,” with remnants of the structure burning and debris covering the street, photos show. There also was damage to four cars and a neighbor’s home.

“The next door neighbor ran to look for the man and miraculously found him walking among the debris and began caring for him,” Colleton County Fire-Rescue wrote in a news release. “It was by the grace of God he survived. The man received traumatic injuries and burns.”

The man was rushed to a burn center in Charleston, officials said.

After the explosion, nearby areas reportedly were left without power. Officials also collected information about the extent of impacts from the blast, which social media users said they felt up to 55 miles away.

On Facebook, some people reported being puzzled as they tried to figure out what caused the shaking.

“Due to the widespread reports of shockwaves we contacted the NWS-Charleston Office who relayed at the time of the explosion there was a strong temperature inversion in place which would help to trap the sound waves and allow them to travel farther,” firefighters said.

The National Weather Service defines a temperature inversion as “a layer of the atmosphere in which air temperature increases with height.” When that phenomenon happens during a storm, for example, sound waves bend “back toward the earth,” making the thunder sound louder, experts say.

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