Explosion levels Cashiers home

By Lynn Hotaling

The victims, Douglas Gravley and his son, Brian, were refinishing floors at the Laurel Lake home of Marian Costello when the blast occurred, said Randy Dillard, chief of the Cashiers-Glenville Volunteer Fire Department.

Costello was at a neighbor's house at the time of the explosion and called 911 to sound the alarm, Dillard said.

"The house was fully involved when I arrived," said Dillard, who said he reached the scene about a minute after the 8:56 a.m. page.

Ambulance personnel happened to be at Ingles, less that a quarter mile from Laurel Lake, and arrived at the fire before any other emergency personnel, Dillard said.

"When I got there the house was engulfed in flames, (Douglas Gravley) was at the edge of the woods and (Brian Gravley) was being walked to the ambulance," Dillard said.

Both victims suffered burns and were transported to the Augusta Burn Center in Augusta, Ga., Dillard said.

In addition to burns, Douglas Gravley suffered a broken pelvis. His condition was listed Tuesday as critical by a burn center spokesman. Brian Gravley's condition was listed as serious.

The victims were transported to Sylva by ambulance from Glenville and then to Augusta. Medical helicopters from Asheville, Atlanta and Knoxville, Tenn., were contacted but could not fly due to weather conditions, Dillard said. A helicopter from Greenville, S.C., attempted to reach the victims but had to turn back when it reached the mountains due to fog, he said.

The force of the explosion blew one wall of the house 11 feet from the foundation and sent glass flying 175 feet into the woods, Dillard said. "The blast knocked the walls out and then the ceiling fell in," he said.

Fumes from the varnish being used on the floors apparently exploded as a result of a spark from the Gravley's floor sander, Dillard said. "One of the victims said there was a spark when they tuned the sander on," Dillard said.

A propane leak discovered Friday by insurance and gas company inspectors may have added fuel to the blaze, Dillard said.

"It was a combination of both the fumes and the gas, probably," said Dillard. "The gas contributed to the fire, but we don't know how much. Neither tank was empty."

Firefighters were able to keep water on the propane tanks until the valves could be closed; neither tank exploded during the fire, Dillard said.

Cashiers firefighters were assisted by members of the Highlands and Cullowhee fire departments, Dillard said, and personnel from the Glenville-Cashiers Rescue Squad assisted at the scene.

The incident remains under investigation, according to Detective David Grant of the Jackson County Sheriff's Department.

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