Mysterious home explosion puzzles MCSO

SEMMES, Ala. (WALA) - Investigators are trying to find out what caused a house on Summit Drive in Semmes to explode.

Neighbors said just before dark on Sunday, a bathroom in the house blew apart, sending part of the roof, flying.

“I've never seen a tub blow into a million pieces before. It blew the tub, the sink, the commode; everything is gone. It blew everything through the closet and into the child's bedroom,” said a neighbor who whishes to remain anonymous.

The neighbor said she stepped onto her porch and heard a loud booming sound. She then saw flames coming from underneath the door so she ran to check on the three year old child who lives there.

“It was a big relief knowing that child was not in that house. Because if she had been in that bedroom, it would have killed her no doubt about it. It would have killed her,” the neighbor said.

The neighbor said to her surprise, she found Blane Jones Jr., and he was on fire.

“All of his facial features, the hair, everything was gone; and the skin was peeling off his face, his arms, his legs,” the neighbor said.

Jones Jr. was taken to the hospital but he wasn’t the only one with burns on his body. Investigators believe Ryan Rogers was also inside when the explosion happened.

Mobile County's narcotics unit was called to the scene and said the nature of the burns caught their attention:

"We have been looking to see if it could be related to a meth explosion simply because both of these individuals involved are suffering from burns, and have had a number of arrests related to manufacturing meth," said Mobile County Sheriff Sam Cochran.

He said both have also appeared on a of excess purchases of  pseudoephedrine.

"They have made so many purchases, they have been blocked a numbers of times not to be able to buy any additional pseudoephedrine within that time period because they exceeded the legal amount,” Cochran said.

Authorities said Jones Jr. claims the explosion came from a gas leak but the sheriff’s office said Mobile Gas told them there was no natural gas going to the residence.

Cochran said no one is facing any charges at this time because of a lack of evidence at the scene.

“Its quite similar to many explosions I’ve seen in the past related to meth, and it creates a flash fire. But in this case, we haven’t been able to seize evidence at the scene that would establish that fact fully,” Cochran said.

We're told Jones Jr. is in intensive care and Rogers is also in the hospital.