Source The Oklahoman, Oklahoma City
NORMAN, Okla. -- Flammable batteries used to power remote-controlled airplanes may have caused an explosion at a Norman residence while firefighters were inside the house trying to stanch a blaze.
No one was injured, but the blast was so violent it lifted the floor on the one-story house at 1316 Sunset Drive and knocked firemen off their feet, Deputy Fire Chief James Bailey said.
The early-morning Sunday fire that gutted the house is one of three residential fires under investigation this week by the department, Bailey said.
A fire about 2 a.m. Wednesday at 2120 Oakside Drive did about $25,000 damage and injured one of the occupants.
A man in his 20s, whose name is being withheld, suffered third-degree burns to his left hand and second-degree burns to his left ankle, Bailey said.
Six other people in the house escaped without injury.
A cooking fire at 3401 Allspice Run shortly after midnight Wednesday did an estimated $2,000 damage to a kitchen. No one was injured in that blaze, Bailey said.
In the Sunset Drive fire, Louis VanDyke said he had just gone to bed shortly after midnight Sunday when smoke alarms at his residence began "chirping."
"When I opened a door and saw smoke and flames, I woke everyone up, and we got out," he said.
He, his wife, 2-year-old son, 15-year-old daughter and the family's dog were outside after firefighters arrived when an explosion rocked the house and the houses on either side of it.
Bailey said firemen aren't sure yet what caused the explosion, but 250 lithium polymer batteries, "which can explode if they get hot enough," and a couple of cans of gasoline in the garage are the most likely causes. The fire itself probably started from an overloaded electrical socket, he said.
The batteries were used by VanDyke to power his collection of 57 remote-controlled vehicles, most of them airplanes, but also some helicopters and cars.
"I thought the explosion came from something under the house because of the way it lifted the whole floor. I didn't think about it being the garage," VanDyke said.
VanDyke said he and his family were renting the house and had purchased renter's insurance when they moved in August.
"So we've got a place to stay. The insurance company has taken really good care of us. We lost all our belongings, but when I think about what could have happened I feel really lucky. It's a sobering experience," he said.
Based on his experience, VanDyke says he has a message for others.
"If your smoke alarm goes off, get out quick. Get everything that is alive out of there and don't worry about anything else. There's no time. It goes that quick," he said.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
