TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Anthony Cordova and his wife were in their house on the Southeast side Tuesday afternoon when there was an explosion and fire at the house next door.
Tucson Fire was dispatched to the house fire in a neighborhood near Houghton and Old Vail Road just before 1 p.m. on Tuesday.
According to TFD, they received multiple reports of an explosion and flames.
When they arrived on the scene, the house was 75 percent engulfed. According to TFD, the fire was under control at 1:41 p.m. There were no injuries.
“I was sitting in the living room, watching TV. My wife’s in the kitchen, or in the dining room, eating breakfast or something and I heard this boom like crazy,” Cordova explained.
What he heard was an explosion at the house next door. He said he ran outside to his backyard and saw the homeowners’ son.
“We got his dogs over into my yard, and then the firefighter and Ex-GI down the street helped us evacuate,” Cordova said.
Cordova’s house – which is directly next to the house that was on fire – is also damaged.
Most of the damage is contained to one side of the house, where the bedrooms are. He and his wife were on the other side of the house at the time of the explosion.
A couple of other nearby houses experienced slight damage.
Tucson Fire Captain and Deputy Fire Marshal Andy Skaggs explained that, as devastating as this is, he’s so thankful no one was hurt.
“In the 24 years I’ve been on with Tucson Fire, I’ve never seen anything of this magnitude, when it comes to an explosion at a house fire,” he said. “This is significant.”
He said these are everyday people who went to work and came back to a complete loss.
“This was not a meth house,” he said. “This was not that, this was a sheer, unfortunate incident that occurred here – that really turned these folks' lives upside down.”
As lives were turned upside down, Cordova said he’s thankful for neighbors who stepped in to help.
“I have a lot more faith in humanity nowadays,” Cordova said.
Tucson Fire is continuing its weeks-long investigation.
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Madison Thomas joined KGUN 9 in July of 2023 as a multimedia journalist. She graduated from Arizona State University in May of 2023 with a degree in journalism and mass communication. She has lived in Arizona her entire life and grew up in Douglas. Madison is thrilled to share the stories from the community she grew up in. Share your story ideas and important issues with Madison by emailing madison.thomas@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.
