A gas leak from a clothes dryer caused the explosion that leveled a north Fulton County home Tuesday night and left two young men in intensive care with second- and third-degree burns, fire officials said Thursday.
Brendan Morton, Pat Sammons and Win Reid moved into the Pine Grove Pointe Drive home in Roswell this week and noticed a moldy odor coming from the washing machine, according to Channel 2 Action News. When they lit a candle to freshen the air, the house blew up, the news station reported.
Neighbors heard the explosion and ran outside to investigate. All three of the house’s residents were able to get out of the house, but Sammons and Morton were badly burned, according to Channel 2. They were taken to Grady Memorial Hospital with burns on more than 60 percent of their bodies.
Reid was on the other side of the house, escaped with minor injuries and did not need transport to a hospital, Channel 2 reported.
The men were renting the house from Barbara and Edward Gianndrea of Hoschton, according to Fulton County property records.
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Emma-Rae Pinson of Roswell started a GoFundMe page to help the men buy basic living supplies. She set a goal of $3,000, and more than $21,000 had been raised as of Thursday afternoon.
“Everything all three boys owned is now lost or under significant rubble from the explosion,” Pinson wrote. “Any donation is helpful.”
A dog is missing from the home as well, according to Channel 2.
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