MANTEO, N.C. — Crews continue to actively investigate what caused a house to explode off Dogwood Trail in Manteo Friday evening.
Neighbors continue to describe to us the terrifying experience as it unfolded.
“I took off running out into the street, and it was just a sudden black smoke flying in the air, and I immediately knew Buddy's house blew up. And I just started crying for him and Kate," said Kimberley Ambrose, a longtime neighbor.
It’s been days since it happened, but the explosion of the Manteo house is still fresh on neighbors' minds.
“When you see something like that and hear it, I knew there was no way there was a house left. I was in shock," said Ambrose.
The explosion led to one person being injured and flown to Norfolk General Hospital for severe burns, where they are recovering.
Investigators told News 3 on Monday that it’s still too soon to tell what may have caused the house to explode and go up into flames.
The fire that came with it was under control by Dare County Fire Department within an hour, but units stayed on scene until just after 9 p.m. that night. Three cars and a boat were also destroyed.
It’s a day that neighbors will not forget for a long time.
“Every noise I hear now, I think something's happening," said Ambrose.
The investigation continues by the Dare County Fire Marshal and Sheriff’s Offices; the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and Office of the State Fire Marshal are also assisting. When a cause is released, we’ll make sure our viewers know what happened.
