RAGLEY, La. — Investigators are trying to determine the cause of an explosion that destroyed a southwest Louisiana home, killed a teenage boy from Alabama and injured five other people.
Louisiana State Fire Marshal Bryan J. Adams said the explosion occurred Saturday morning. Firefighters arrived to find the house on fire. The explosion leveled the house, threw debris a distance, and severely damaged nearby vehicles and a metal outbuilding.
Killed was Deuce Barrere, 16, of Theodore, Alabama, local news outlets reported. Five other people were taken to hospital including Barrere’s older sister and mother. Adams said a young child who was in the house was not injured and is being cared for by relatives.
“This is an unimaginable tragedy for this family and community,” Adams said in a statement.
Friends of Duece Barrere gathered on Dauphin Island, Alabama, Sunday to remember him told NO TV that he was a cheerleader in high school.
“When I was upset, he always made sure it was fine before I left, and he always made sure everyone here was happy,” said Adalynn Hall, who said she was Barrere’s girlfriend.
Some nearby residents told KPLC-TV that the explosion felt like an earthquake, and that the resulting shock wave knocked objects to the floor of their home and caused power outages.
Ragley is about 20 miles north of Lake Charles.