Georgia home explosion
© Dean Dyer WRWH RadioWhite County Sheriff Neal Walden said the blast was so powerful that people reported feeling the shock wave as far as 16 miles away.
Police say an explosion that completely destroyed a home in northeast Georgia may have been caused by a gas leak, which left 'nothing but the foundation' and killed one person inside.

White County Sheriff Neal Walden said the blast around 10:30am on Friday on 64 Rhododendron Road in Sautee Nacoochee, near Cleveland, was so powerful that people reported feeling the shock wave as far as 16 miles away.

The identity of the man who was killed has not yet been revealed, though he is said to be in his seventies.

Sheriff Walden confirmed the explosion left three or four homes nearby with broken windows and other damage, though no other injuries were reported.

Sautee Nacoochee is an unincorporated area in Georgia's northeast corner, near Cleveland, and about 95 miles from Atlanta.

The woods were on fire and what was left of the house was on fire,' Walden said.

'It looked like a war zone.'

TV news stations broadcast footage from the scene of pieces of wood, concrete blocks and other debris strewn over a wide area.


'The exact cause of this explosion is still under investigation,' Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner Ralph Hudgens said.

'The body of an adult male was discovered in the rubble.'

Residents reported feeling the explosion across the county.

Facebook user Mikelisa Anderson said she heard the 'boom' in Cornelia, which is over 16 miles away from the home.

One user, Jessica Thompson, said she thought it was propane, as they heard it from Clarkesville Elementary school, nearly 17 miles away.

Source: Associated Press