x
Breaking News
More () »

Explosion at elderly couple's Dunwoody home leads to fire, police say

There are only minor injuries reported, officials say.

ATLANTA — An explosion led to a "significant" fire at an elderly couple's Dunwoody home Wednesday afternoon, authorities said. 

Dunwoody Police and neighbors said that the couple was able to make it out of the house and suffered from minor, non-life-threatening injuries. A firefighter suffered a knee injury.  

The explosion happened off Village Court just after 1:30 p.m. 

"It went up really quickly," Paul Kolevsohn, who lives right next door to this house on Village Court, said. "Within two, three minutes, the whole house went up."

Police said the explosion happened in the basement, which caused the home to catch fire. The cause of the explosion is unknown at this time. 

A representative with the DeKalb County Fire Rescue Department said it was a "significant" fire and that it included a partial collapse. 

One neighbor, Brian Toms, said he was running toward the house when he saw other neighbors helping the elderly couple, who lives there escape the burning home.

"They actually heard the explosion, and when they turned around and looked at the house, they actually saw windows blown out the front of the house," he said. 

Many neighbors told 11Alive they heard ammunition going off, DeKalb Fire confirmed there was ammunition in the home, but no one was hurt by it. 

11Alive SkyTracker saw no visible damage from the exterior of the home. 

The cause of the fire is under investigation. Police ask people to avoid the area as the DeKalb fire continues to put any hot spots. 

 

WAYS TO GET 11ALIVE  

SIGN UP FOR THE NEWSLETTER  

The 11Alive Speed Feed offers a curated experience of top local stories we’re following now. Our goal is to help you feel informed, even if you only have five minutes. This email will be sent at noon daily. Sign up here. 

GET IN TOUCH WITH US  

Have a story idea or something on your mind you want to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at WhereAtlantaSpeaks@11Alive.com. 

Before You Leave, Check This Out