Explosion levels southwest Louisiana home, killing teen from Alabama and injuring 5

RAGLEY, Louisiana — Investigators are trying to determine the cause of an explosion that destroyed a home in southwest Louisiana, killing a teenage Alabama boy and injuring five others.

Louisiana State Fire Marshal Bryan J. Adams said the explosion occurred Saturday morning. Firefighters arrived to find a house on fire. The explosion leveled the house, threw debris a distance and severely damaged vehicles and a metal outbuilding nearby.

Deuce Barrer, 16, of Theodore, Alabama, was killed. WKRG-TV reported. Five other people were taken to hospital, including Barrer’s older sister and mother. Adams said a toddler who was in the home was not injured and is being cared for by family members.

“This is an unimaginable tragedy for this family and community,” Adams said in a statement.

Some local residents told KPLC-TV that the explosion felt like an earthquake and the shock wave it created knocked things to the ground in their homes and caused power outages.

Ragley is located approximately 20 miles north of Lake Charles.