A massive home in Charlotte exploded this afternoon, shaking million-dollar homes throughout the Ballantyne Country Club.
According to the Charlotte Fire Department, the explosion occurred at roughly 1:45 pm on July 2nd and completely destroyed the 8,252 square foot home at 11812 James Jack Ln (built in 2004 and last sold for $1.27 million in 2015).
Piedmont Natural Gas was alerted about the explosion at roughly 2:45 p.m. and dispatched crews to turn off all active lines to the house and around the neighborhood. They have yet to confirm or deny the cause of the explosion.
The Charlotte Fire Department sent out a series of tweets about the explosion starting at about 2:30pm this afternoon;
Structural collapse due to fire, 11000 block of James jack lane. Media staging three blocks away, PIO en route. Station 32’s area.
— Charlotte Fire Dept (@CharlotteFD) July 2, 2019
Update Structural Collapse with Fire; 11000 block of James Jack Lane; rescue in progress; media staging area Ballantine Meadows Dr/James Jack Ln pic.twitter.com/nwfNMFYa61
— Charlotte Fire Dept (@CharlotteFD) July 2, 2019
Update Structural Collapse with Fire 11000 block of James Jack Lane; 4th alarm has been sounded for additional manpower.
— Charlotte Fire Dept (@CharlotteFD) July 2, 2019
Update Structural Collapse; 11000 block of James Jack Ln; rescue in progress; no injuries to firefighters; agencies on scene assisting; @MecklenburgEMS @CMPD @DukeEnergy @PNG pic.twitter.com/YFrhnUOGU6
— Charlotte Fire Dept (@CharlotteFD) July 2, 2019
Update Structural Collapse with Fire; 11000 block of James Jack Lane; 80+ firefighters actively working; rehab units & multi casualty bus on scene assisting firefighters. pic.twitter.com/l1VoiGCk4o
— Charlotte Fire Dept (@CharlotteFD) July 2, 2019
According to officials, at about 4 pm, a man called 911 from beneath the rubble and was able to describe where he was in the home.
Rescue crews were able to dig him out and he was quickly transported to a nearby hospital via helicopter with life-threatening injuries.
Update Structural Collapse with Fire; 11800 block of James Jack Ln; one patient has been freed conscious & alert; patient turned over to @MecklenburgEMS & taken by helicopter to area hospital; firefighters are still actively searching for additional victims; no active fires
— Charlotte Fire Dept (@CharlotteFD) July 2, 2019
Update Structural Collapse; James Jack Ln; Charlotte Fire Search & Rescue’s Structural Engineers & Search Tech Specialists are utilizing specialized listening equipment & confined space cameras during search efforts; no fly zone established to reduce noise in the area. pic.twitter.com/KiB50pmDMK
— Charlotte Fire Dept (@CharlotteFD) July 2, 2019
Update Structural Collapse; James Jack Ln; Big Thank You to the community! Firefighters are eating & rehydrating during rehab while the search continues pic.twitter.com/mXmFvEhogx
— Charlotte Fire Dept (@CharlotteFD) July 2, 2019
So far, officials have not released any definitive theories about the cause of the explosion.
UPDATE 7/2/2019 9:00pm:
CMPD has now confirmed that a second person was found in the home after the explosion.
58-year-old Rania Karam was found dead beneath the rubble late this evening by Charlotte firefighters.
Police also stated that the first person found was Jebran Karam, the man who placed the 911 call and who is currently in the hospital with life-threatening injuries.
We will update this article as new information comes in.