Family of 9 displaced by bomb-like explosions in Clayton County house fire

CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — The American Red Cross assisted 19 people after a large residential fire destroyed a home and storage building on King George Way early Saturday morning.

Clayton County Fire and Emergency Services responded to the 6500 block of King George Way at about 7:12 a.m. The first crew arrived within five minutes and found the house heavily involved in smoke and flames.

Nearby resident Henry Smalls said the fire’s intensity shook the neighborhood as propane tanks exploded during firefighting efforts.

“It was real loud. It sounded like a bomb,” Smalls said. “After I heard an explosion in the back of the house, the whole house just went up—into flames. And that’s all I saw.”

Fire Chief Tim Sweat said nearly two dozen firefighters responded, but extreme heat and heavy flames prevented crews from mounting an interior attack.

“They pulled attack lines off the first arriving apparatus and tried to gain access into the home,” Sweat said. “However, the heat and extensive flames quickly pushed them back out.”

Firefighters also had to maneuver around overhead power lines and tightly spaced homes, making it harder to position aerial equipment and deliver high-volume water streams, Sweat added.

Preliminary findings indicate the fire began in or near a storage shed behind the home.

“It appears on the initial investigation that it originated somewhere in that area, then quickly spread through construction debris in the backyard and onto the residence,” Sweat said.

Hours later, crews remained on scene extinguishing hotspots. Because of a heavy backyard fire load — including lumber and construction debris — the Clayton County Transportation and Development Department deployed a skid steer to help firefighters sift through debris.

“They’re having to sift through that now to ensure we get all the hotspots,” Sweat said. “Then investigators can trace where it started and how it spread.”

Authorities said both the home and storage structure are total losses. No civilian or firefighter injuries were reported. A family of nine displaced by the fire is receiving assistance from the Red Cross and plans to stay with relatives.

The blaze happened the same morning Clayton County Fire & Emergency Services partnered with the Red Cross for a “Sound the Alarm” event. Volunteers canvassed neighborhoods in Riverdale installing free smoke alarms and sharing fire safety information.

“Smoke alarms are one of the simplest and most effective tools we have to protect families from fire-related tragedies,” Sweat said.