AFR crews respond to home explosion in Nob Hill

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Albuquerque Fire Rescue crews responded to a home explosion in Nob Hill Thursday afternoon. The explosion was near Ridgeley Ave. and Montclaire Dr. around 2:20 p.m. According to AFR, two individuals were transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Homeowner Kevin Wilson, says his daughters were in the back of the house with their three dogs when the home exploded. “I pick up the phone and my daughter’s kind of crying and she’s like, dad, dad, dad, the house exploded,” said Wilson.

Wilson says that his home has been destroyed before. The first being from a fire because of a downed powerline, the second time it had flooded because the roof was damaged by hail. “First thing I called my wife, she’s on the way, she’s out of town on the way back in and her first words were ‘Sell the damn place. We’re not coming back’,” said Wilson.

AFR said there was major damage and collapse to the front of the home and it is not safe to occupy. A neighboring home was also damaged but is structurally sound.

AFR says NM Gas detected a high level of gas in the ground surrounding the home. That means surrounding homes are evacuated until concentrations of gas have fallen to a safe level. They said there is no time frame for how long that will take.