GRANITE CITY — Matthew Jones, whose home exploded early Monday while he was at work, tried to be upbeat — “it’s only a house†— and was thankful no one was hurt.
As he walked near the rubble, Jones laughed when he found his blender hurled onto his driveway.
Rich Moore, assistant chief of the Granite City Fire Department, said “all indications†are that a natural gas leak caused the explosion at the single-family residence about 2:45 a.m. Monday.
Homeowner Matthew Jones examines the wreckage of his house after an overnight while he was at work on Monday, June 26, 2023, in Granite City.
Jones, 37, lived alone at 3040 Dale Avenue, near St. Clair Avenue. Jones said he was working on his water heater Sunday night to figure out why his water wasn’t heating up.
“I didn’t hear any hissing sound,†he said, or smell the telltale additive found in natural gas.
Jones said he went to work for the overnight shift at a company that makes laundry detergent, leaving his house behind without a hint of trouble.
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“Thankful to be working the graveyard shift,†Jones said.
The house was leveled, and chunks of the home flew into the street and damaged a neighbor’s home.
“It was a debris field in the street,†the assistant fire chief, Moore, added.
Before authorities talked with Jones to confirm he was safely away, crews had gone through the rubble to make sure no one was inside.
The state fire marshal’s office and an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms were among the investigators. Moore said they were called in primarily because of the magnitude of the blast.
Rob Prather, a neighbor, said he had walked out of his home to go to work about 2:10 a.m. Prather’s fiancee soon called him in hysterics, saying the neighbor’s house blew up.
“I rushed right home and walked into a disaster zone,†Prather said. “The side of his house blew off and went through my driveway and almost put my Harley through the wall. Our bathroom is demolished.â€
His fiancee was sleeping near a wall close to where his home was damaged.
“She is very lucky,†Prather said.
Christine Tannous of the Post-Dispatch staff contributed to this report.
Rubble remains at the scene of a house explosion Monday, June 26, 2023, on the 3000 block of Dale Avenue in Granite City. The explosion was reported around 2:45 a.m.. Homeowner Matthew Jones said he was at work at the time of explosion. "No one's surviving this," Jones said. Photo by Christine Tannous, ctannous@post-dispatch.com
Authorities investigate the scene of a house explosion Monday, June 26, 2023, on the 3000 block of Dale Avenue in Granite City. The explosion was reported around 2:45 a.m.. Homeowner Matthew Jones said he was at work at the time of explosion. "No one's surviving this," Jones said. Photo by Christine Tannous, ctannous@post-dispatch.com
Homeowner Matthew Jones, center, and neighbor Rob Prather, right, speak with an investigator at scene of Jones' home after an explosion Monday, June 26, 2023, on the 3000 block of Dale Avenue in Granite City. The explosion was reported around 2:45 a.m.. Jones said he was at work at the time of explosion. "No one's surviving this," Jones said. Prather's home was damaged in the explosion. Photo by Christine Tannous, ctannous@post-dispatch.com
Authorities continue to investigate the scene of a house explosion Monday, June 26, 2023, on the 3000 block of Dale Avenue in Granite City. The explosion was reported around 2:45 a.m.. Home owner Matthew Jones said he was at work at the time of explosion. "No one's surviving this," Jones said. Photo by Christine Tannous, ctannous@post-dispatch.com
