Law enforcement was dispatched about 10:23 p.m. to the Garden area for an explosion, according to Garden Township Fire Department Chief Keith Farley.

“A neighbor of this residence had reported that he had some broken (or cracked) windows, and dispatch was receiving multiple calls on a large explosion in the area,” said Farley.

While responders initially thought it could have been a wind turbine in the area that exploded, Farley relayed to dispatch that there is nothing in the turbines that could explode.

Law enforcement began checking nearby residences in the area from the original caller, and they found material blown off of the walls of other residences.

Garden Township Fire Department drone footage shows the extent of damage after a house explosion Monday night at 15670 18.5 Lane in Garden Township. (Photo courtesy of the Garden Township Fire Department)

Farley was still enroute to the area when he learned law enforcement on scene determined a house at 15670 18.5 Lane had exploded.

“Now, keep in mind, we were also receiving other calls from, like, the Isabella area that had heard this (explosion), the Cooks area, even up to Thompson,” said Farley.

Upon arrival, responders found the driveway to the residence hadn’t been plowed.

“There was no one home … We had to use one of our rescue trucks with a plow on it to plow the driveway to get down into this residence,” Farley said.

While the house is considered a complete loss, a nearby garage on the property is still standing as of this report.

In a news release by Michigan State Police, “A preliminary investigation indicates the explosion may have been caused by a propane leak inside the residence that ignited.”

The investigation into the cause of the explosion is ongoing.

Agencies that assisted the Garden Township Fire Department include the MSP Gladstone post, the MSP Aviation Unit and Delta County Central Dispatch.