Explosions in Idaho Falls fire caused by propane tanks

Flames engulfing an Idaho Falls home Thursday morning were accompanied by explosions.

The fire engulfed a trailer, a car, and a house at 1151 Bingham Ave. at about 9:30 a.m. Firefighters were trying to keep the fire from a house next door, which sustained heavy damage to its siding, a boat and a vehicle.

Lindsey Adams was in the home while it burned and was awakened by her 5-year-old son, who smelled smoke.

“It was like 200 feet in the air,” she said.”It exploded, and I was at the end of the block, and I saw they flames, and they were 10 times higher than that tree.”

According to a news release from the Idaho Falls Fire Department, three propane tanks vented and two of the venting tanks had exploded in the garage area, spreading the flames.

The burning house sustained the heaviest damage on the carport, garage, and south side, totalling $104,500. The property next door, at number 1137, sustained $11,000 in total damages.

Officials have not released the cause of the fire yet.