Fire officials said House on Bayer Avenue "exploded," one man critical

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) A Fort Wayne man was hospitalized over the weekend in a burn unit after his home exploded.

UPDATE:  A couple of his friends have started a charity fund in his name .  Their goal is to raise $3,000 in three months.  All donations will be given to his parents to pay for medical expenses.

When firefighters arrived on scene in the 1700 block of Bayer Avenue, they found the house in flames and completely collapsed.

Caleb Hofmann, 21, was listed in critical condition Sunday at Fort Wayne Saint Joseph Hospital. One of the other two residents of the home, China White, 21, said Hoffman suffered burns across 70 percent of his body.

Fort Wayne Fire Chief Amy Biggs said multiple calls came in around noon Saturday with people reporting a house had exploded.

The first two videos were submitted by Asnley Donaldson to NewsChannel 15 with Report!t

Other homes and cars in the area were also affected. Neighbors said they heard, and felt, the explosion from blocks away.

“There’s a huge boom,” said David Robinson. He saw the fire. “The floors shook. It woke me up. I got out of bed. It was nuts, it felt like an earthquake almost.”

Tom Cook heard the explosion inside his home. “I was watching TV and all of a sudden I heard a great big old bang!" said Cook.

China White said she had smelled a foul odor for a few days. On Saturday, she thought the smell was stronger.

"My first instinct, I think it was gas," White said. “I went downstairs, but nothing was on, so I just thought it can't be that, it is not on. The smell was so strong, I had to suffocate myself under my blankets and stuff. I was going to light a candle because it was awful, thank God I didn't."

White was at work when she found out what happened to her roommate.

“I got a call saying my roommate lit a match and, the house exploded,” said White. “My neighbor, Jason, pulled him out of the rubble. I think my roommate is going to be okay, but he has burns on 70 percent of his body from head to toe."

White said her other roommate and herself have lined up another place to stay.

The fire remains under investigation. Biggs said it could take a while to determine the cause of the fire.

"This is going to be a long process," she said. "We're looking at all those different areas where the materials landed. We'll be working with our investigator to get a cause and origin and relationship to the incident."

NIPSCO, AEP and Neighborhood Code were called in to assist firefighters.

NIPSCO spokesman Larry Graham said utility workers had found no gas leaks or signs of gas in the area surrounding the house.