‘It’s a miracle that they got out’: Triad family recovering after house explosion
Zach Shirley says his family lived at their home on Friedberg Church Road for more than 30 years. His stepdad built the home
By Kara Peters
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FORSYTH COUNTY, North Carolina (WXII) — A Triad family is starting from square one after their home exploded last Thursday in Forsyth County.
It left five people injured, including a firefighter.
Zach Shirley says his family lived at their home on Friedberg Church Road for more than 30 years. His stepdad built the home, and his stepdad’s father designed it.
“I remember waking up on Saturday mornings and having to lay block and things like that,” Shirley said. “So, it’s tough to see all that work and all that effort just blown away.”
Shirley says he got a call from his stepbrother late last Thursday, urging him to get to the hospital immediately.
His stepbrother, who was inside the home at the time, told Zach there was a natural gas leak, which resulted in a fire and explosion. His mom, stepdad, and a family friend were also inside.
“On the way there, I didn’t know whether they were alive or not,” Shirley said. “I didn’t know until I got there.”
Zach says his stepbrother had minor injuries, but his parents remain in the hospital with more serious burns and wounds.
Officials confirmed that his mom had burns to 22% of her body, while his stepdad had burns to 40% of his body.
“My mom has a lot of trauma wounds; she has several broken bones in her back and chest,” Shirley said. “She also had significant burning in her right foot, and that was not able to be saved.”
Zach and his family spent hours Monday at the home looking through the rubble, coming across priceless family heirlooms and celebrating small victories.
“We were able to save the urn of three loved ones that we couldn’t find for a couple days, so that was a blessing.” Shirley said.
Shirley says although his childhood home of more than 30 years is now gone, he’s thankful he still has his family.
“They’re in good spirits, in a lot of pain, and they know they have a long road ahead of them,” Shirley said.
A firefighter was also injured in the explosion and was treated at the hospital for heat exhaustion symptoms. They have since been released.
Shirley’s family also had two dogs and a cat inside the home at the time of the explosion. He says they’ve all been found safe.
If you’d like to donate to help the family rebuild after this explosion, click here.
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