Deadly house fire, morning explosion rocks Levy Park neighborhood

A house exploded and caught fire on Yancey Street in Tallahassee’s Levy Park neighborhood early Sunday morning, leaving one person dead and windows rattling several blocks away, police and neighbors said.

Shards of glass littered the road in front of the house and were in neighbors’ yards up to three houses away. Investigators placed numbered yellow evidence markers next to some of the debris. The house, which was still smoking at 11 a.m., had a large charred crater on its facade.

The woman identified as resident Priscilla Walker stood outside a neighbor’s house down the street, shaking. Family members began to arrive. Someone asked him if he could get him something for his feet; she only wore dark, wet socks.

“I don’t want to talk to anyone. I don’t know what to say,” she told a journalist, on the verge of tears.

Here’s what happened, according to a news release from the Tallahassee Fire Department: At approximately 8:22 a.m., the Tallahassee Fire Department was dispatched to a structure fire on the street. Crews arrived on scene and observed heavy gunfire coming from a residence.

During a search, a victim was found dead inside. The causes of the fire, on which police declined to comment, are currently under investigation. The National Fire Service was on site.

Witnesses saw smoke visible from the explosion as far as downtown and it echoed through the Levy Park neighborhood.

“There was a really big boom that shook our house,” said neighbor Stew Pierson, who has lived across the street for four years. “I thought something hit our house or a transformer blew. Then I saw (fire) trucks coming down the street.”

Walker is a “lovely” person, he added: “I’m sure the neighborhood will find a way to help him.” Levy Park is across North Monroe Street from Lake Ella. Many of the homes in the neighborhood date from the 1940s.

Elijah Reid, who lives next door, said he heard an “explosion” and looked outside to see “white insulation falling on cars” parked outside. “I saw flames coming out of the house and (Walker) was outside,” calling for his son.

Police at the scene declined to say whether the death involved Walker’s son, Jeremy. Dustin Clenney, who stood in front of the burning house, said Jeremy had worked for his landscaping company for six years.

“He would give you the shirt off his back,” Clenney said, adding that he was a hard worker. “We had a 10-foot rule,” he said, smiling. “You didn’t want to get in his way” when he had a job he was trying to do.

How to help

∎ Family members have requested that donations to Walker be mailed to the care of Rev. Daniel Cooksey, Ivan Assembly of God, 202 Ivan Church Road, Crawfordville, FL 32327.

TPD responds to fire that occurred earlier this morning

Earlier Sunday, at 7:56 a.m., Tallahassee firefighters responded to a structure fire located on Rachel Cooper Lane.

Firefighters arrived on scene to find heavy smoke and flames coming from the roof of a mobile home. Crews quickly launched an interior attack and brought the fire under control.

TFD personnel searched the structure for possible occupants, and no one was found inside the structure at the time of the fire. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

This is breaking news and will be updated. Come back later to find out more.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Deadly house fire, explosion rocks Levy Park in Tallahassee