http://hamptonroads.com/2013/08/key-fob-sets-explosion-va-beach
By Cindy Clayton
The Virginian-Pilot
© August 21, 2013
VIRGINIA BEACH
The scene in a Carolanne Farms neighborhood this morning resembled one from a movie.
A contractor on his way to work about 7 a.m. stepped outside his home, pressed the button on his key fob to unlock his truck’s door.
Then, boom.
An explosion hurled parts of the truck into neighbors’ yards. The windshield landed in the backyard of a house across the street and debris littered the 300 block of Gainsborough Road.
The heating and air conditioning contractor was not injured, but the windows of his home were shattered. Flying truck parts left scars on the garage. A vehicle parked nearby was damaged.
The man had stored an acetylene bottle on the truck. Virginia Beach Fire Department Battalion Chief Jack Crandell said fumes from the bottle likely escaped overnight and ignited when the key fob was pressed.
“He was lucky,” Crandell continued. “Had he started it, it would have been a much different result.”
The cause is under investigation, although the explosion was ruled an accident.
