House explosion kills 2 in northern Collin County

VAN ALSTYNE, Texas - State investigators are headed to North Texas to the scene of a deadly home explosion likely caused by a propane gas leak.

SKY 4 flew over what's left of the home in Van Alstyne along the Collin County and Grayson County line. Officials confirm two people inside the home were killed.

Randy Phillips and his wife jumped out of bed around 1:15 a.m. Monday to a loud sound.

"It sounded like a bomb went off," he said. "It sounded almost like a car had driven into the house." 

Phillips says he came outside and saw large flames over the treeline coming from a house nearby. 

Another neighbor called 911 while Phillips kept a close eye to make sure the fire didn’t spread. 

"We had five or six fire departments out to make sure," he said.

Once the flames were gone and the sun came up, the devastation became real. 

The Grayson County fire marshal says a home exploded, and the two people who lived there died.

SKY 4 shows the scope of the damage. 

The fire marshal says the cause appears to be a propane leak, and the Texas Railroad Commission is investigating. 

The impact of the blast sent debris into other properties and shattered a window at Phillips’ house. 

Phillips says he didn’t know his neighbors other than just a friendly wave here and there. Still, he got emotional when talking about them. 

"Yeah, it’s hard. It’s hard," he said.

Other people who live nearby shared the victims were kind and wonderful neighbors who loved their home. 

"It’s amazing, and you just don’t think about these kinds of things," Phillips said.

The identities of the two people who were killed haven’t been released yet. 

The Grayson County fire marshal says the home did use propane for appliances, but it’s unclear where the leak was located. 

This incident is still under investigation, but the fire marshal says it appears to be accidental and does not suspect foul play.