Cordesville, South Carolina — A home exploded Thursday morning in Cordesville, a town nestled between Moncks Corner and Huger, leaving a community devastated.
According to a Berkeley County public information officer, the first fire crew arrived at the location, which was located on Rufus Lane and Highway 402, at 7:40 a.m., after receiving reports of a collapsed home or suspected explosion. They also reported that two people had been brought to the hospital.
Neighbors described the sight as “traumatic,” with some who lived nearby attempting to put the pieces back together. The family had owned the home for more than 70 years. It vanished in a couple of seconds.
“Boom!” exclaimed Charleston Weston, a neighbor who saw the horror unfold. “I really did think somebody was breaking into my house.”
It was his reaction at 7:40 a.m., when first responders were notified of the home explosion. The two persons inside the residence were taken to the Medical University of South Carolina for treatment following what neighbors described as a disaster.
“She told me that she had ran over there. ’cause when she heard the explosion, she came out and seen the house was level,” Weston recalled! “So she hurried across the field here and heard the lady shouting for aid. You know, someone should aid me.
When the dust settled, Weston believed no one had survived. However, it turns out that those in the house survived.
“They flew in last night,” said Alberta Gadsden, a neighbour. “She was. She had some housework done. I assume someone told me she was going to rent out the house.”
Weston observed the victims’ rescue from the wreckage.
“When they brought her out, I said, ‘Oh my God, I hope it’s not death or anything, you know?'” Weston stated. “I believe they were burned on the body. Not in the face, but you couldn’t see much because they were covered up from head to neck.”
And for Gadsden, the house represented her youth.
“You have memories there,” she explained. “There’s so much. That tree brings back memories from my youth. It pained me. “It really hurt me.”
N. Berkeley Fire, Town of Moncks Corner Fire, Goose Creek City Fire, Summerville Fire & Rescue, and Berkeley County EMS were among the units that responded to the tragedy. The Berkeley County Emergency Management Division and Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office requested that SLED investigate the explosion.
