ANN ARBOR (WWJ) -- It sounded like a bomb going off, neighbors say, when a house exploded Monday morning in downtown Ann Arbor.
Reporting from the scene, WWJ's Charlie Langton reported when happened at around 5 a.m., along S. 7th St. at Princeton, the boom and the fire could be heard and seen for miles.
Photos from the scene show there's not much left of the house.
Susan, who lives nearby was awakened by the blast.
"I went outside, and I still couldn't see anything. And all of a sudden I looked down the street and I could just see a whole building encased in flames," she said. "So... it's pretty frightening."
Ann Arbor Fire Chief Mike Kennedy said the only person inside the home was a man in his 70s who lives by himself.
The man made it out, Kennedy said, and was taken to University of Michigan Hospital for treatment of minor burns that were not life-threatening.
No one else was hurt, aside from one firefighter who sustained a minor injury when he slipped and fell on the ice.
While the cause of the explosion remains under investigation. the chief said officials have a pretty good idea of how it happened.
"From some reports from the resident, along with neighbors, it sounds like the occupant may have been using propane for heating inside," Kennedy said.
Kennedy said the house is clearly a total loss. "And fortunately only the one to the south received other damage," he added. "So, given the magnitude of the explosion, pretty fortunate no other injuries, no other injuries and no other structural damage."