Calls to 911 surged moments after a house exploded in West Akron on Tuesday evening.
“I’m at the corner of Courtland and Hawkins, and this house just blew up right in front of me,” a woman told emergency dispatchers. “It blew up. It’s gone.”
The dispatcher seemed to express disbelief as she rallied first responders to the scene. Meanwhile, three other people called 911 to report the explosion.
Another caller, who lives a couple blocks away on Seward Avenue, called to report something exploded. She suspected it was a house, but she was unsure.
Others who called seemed panicked at what they were seeing.
“This house just blew up,” a woman said. “It’s just burning and smoke.”
The explosion happened at about 7:40 p.m. Tuesday at 1219 Courtland Avenue at the South Hawkins Avenue intersection. First responders found the house flattened and burning. One person, a man in his 30s or 40s, was injured in the explosion and was transported to Cleveland Clinic Akron General for treatment. Authorities have not released the man’s name or condition.
Neighbors said the man who lived at the house was Rodney Hylton, 49. It’s unclear if Hylton was the man injured in the explosion.
A neighbor, Reggie Lockhart, said he was cooking dinner when the explosion violently shook his house. By the time he got outside, Lockhart said he saw a man he thought was Hylton being put into an ambulance. He said he appeared to be very injured.
“He’s not lucky,” Lockhart said. “He’s blessed.”
He described Hylton as a nice guy who lived alone. They don’t know each other well, Lockhart said, but they’d wave when they’d see one another.
The explosion was heard three miles away and sent smoke billowing for blocks.
Mike Brooks, a spokesman for the Akron Fire Department, said investigators have not determined a cause for the explosion.
“They’re thinking it’s a gas leak or a gas explosion,” Brooks said, “but they’re still investigating.”
Investigators continued to comb through the debris on Wednesday. Window frames and other pieces of the house had been blown onto the street and nearby properties. Most of that was cleaned up by Wednesday, but the road was still blocked by caution tape.
Nick Glunt can be reached at 330-996-3565 or nglunt@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @NickGluntABJ and on Facebook @JournoNickGlunt .