© Jordan Steffen/The Denver PostThe scene at 4524 Eureka Court in Denver, late Friday morning.
About 11:30 p.m., firefighters were called to 4524 Eureka Court, said Todd Bower, deputy chief of the Denver Fire Department.
Firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze, and none of the three people inside the home was injured.
The cause of the explosion has yet to be determined, but investigators think it may have been the result of lightning striking the attached garage, Bower said.
The bolt of lightning likely caused several propane tanks in the garage to ignite and explode.
On Friday morning, a charred car remained under rubble that was once the garage of the burned home. All that was left of the south side of the home was a skeleton of wood and black ash.
The home is considered a total loss, Bower said.
The American Red Cross' Mile High Chapter is providing food and lodging for the two displaced adults.
Cindy and Wilbert Gregory, who live next door to the home, said two people were renting the home and had recently moved in. Wilbert Gregory said the third person inside the home at the time of the explosion does not live there.
Neighbors were shocked by the rapid destruction. "I saw this blaze come down from the sky, almost like a meteor," said Sharon Grant, who lives across the street. "I saw it hit, and then all of a sudden, boom!"
Grant said she called 911 after she saw the bolt hit the top of the garage. Several neighbors said they heard several loud blasts and felt the ground shake.
Cindy Gregory said she heard three booms, each one louder than the one before. "I ran out of the house and saw the flames gushing out," she said.
The heat and flames severely damaged the Gregorys' home, scorching the siding and spreading into the attic. The couple's bedroom window is less than 20 feet from what used to be their neighbors' garage.
"Firefighters told us that it would have only taken two more minutes for the fire to reach the insulation in the attic," Wilbert Gregory said. "Two more minutes, and our house would have looked like" that of their neighbors.
The fire caused an estimated $20,000 to $30,000 in damage to the Gregorys' home, Bower said.
Like a meteor, eh? I wonder if that's what it was?