HOUSTON -- Neighbors in a southwest Houston neighborhood rushed outside Friday morning to find a nearby home in flames, Local 2 reports.

Firefighters were called to the scene of a house fire on Woodshire and Stella Link at about midnight.

Officials said something exploded after the homeowner turned on a wood-burning stove inside his garage, which officials described as a makeshift carpentry shop.

Neighbors said they heard a loud noise and a large ball of fire rise from the home.

"We were inside visiting, watching TV and we heard an explosion. We thought it was the TV and then we thought it was a gunshot," neighbor Sharelle Poth said.

The Houston Fire Department said it appeared all the varnishes and chemicals inside the garage might have caused the explosion but that the fire appeared to have been ignited by the wood-burning stove.

The garage was destroyed and two vehicle parked outside were damaged.

No injuries were reported.

 

This article was reproduced with permission.