3 Injured In House Explosion: 'Their Clothes Were Melted Off Of Them'

REDFORD TWP. (WWJ) - Police in Redford Township are trying to figure out what caused a house explosion that left three men clinging to life.

The blast happened just after 8 p.m. Wednesday at a home on Woodworth, between 8 Mile Road and Grand River Avenue.

Three men were inside the home when the explosion happened. All were rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries; their current conditions are unknown.

An official cause of the explosion is under investigation. According to police, butane was apparently being used in the processing of marijuana inside the home.

Reporting live from the scene, WWJ's Charlie Langton said the north-facing wall of the home was blown away from the foundation, with broken glass and other debris scattered everywhere.

Samantha Yacks, who lives next door, was in disbelief as she looked at the trail of bloody footprints around the home.

"I was sitting in there on my bed with my baby and I seen flames and, like, a loud noise. So I come running out and then I see three guys jumping out their windows from the basement, breaking windows, jumping off," she said. "And their clothes were, um, melted off of them. That's how bad they were, like, third-degree burns."

Kim Slate said the explosion was shocking enough but then she saw the victims.

"I seen flames coming out of the basement and I told my daughter 'Get out of here, that house is on fire,' and all of a sudden the house just blew up," she said. "Three gentlemen ran out of the basement naked and they were severely burned. I mean, they didn't have no clothes on, their skin was peeling off them. It was bad."

Yacks described the moment as frightening.

"I was shocked. I was scared," she said. "I came running out because I'm more worried about my house -- you know, because I have the baby and all my belongings -- my house blowing up."

Neighbor Nino Jackson said things just don't seem to be adding up. Others think something criminal might have been going on inside, saying they could smell marijuana coming from the house.

"You see, that's the speculation," he said. "I don't know. But whatever they was doing, it was bad."

An investigation is ongoing.

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