Firefighters responding to reports of a loud explosion and heavy smoke seven miles outside Whitefish Friday morning found what amounted to a smoldering crater of debris when they arrived at the scene.

Whitefish Fire Chief Tom Kennelly said it was likely a propane leak that caused a rural one-story home at 516 Beaver Lake Road to explode at about 8 a.m.

“The house was totally destroyed,” Kennelly said. “There’s was really nothing left of it, just some burning debris.”

No one was injured during the blast.

The house belonged to a Calgary resident who used it primarily as a vacation home, Kennelly said, adding that the owner has been notified and is traveling from Canada to assess the damage.

Kennelly said it took about 90 minutes to disable an underground propane tank believed to be the cause of the fire.

“It’s still undetermined. but we’re leaning toward that,” he said. “No one was there. It looks like there was some sort of leak and something ignited it.”

Kennelly said insurance company investigators will determine the official cause of the explosion.

About 18 firefighters from Whitefish as well as Evergreen Fire and Rescue extinguished flames that had ignited debris in the basement of the home.                         

“The roof kind of came down and took everything with it,” Kennelly said.

The blast blew debris up to 100 feet away, but caused only minor damage to a nearby detached garage.

Kennelly said the damage to the home was so severe that he isn’t sure of its original size, though he estimated it was about 1,500 square feet.

The sound of the explosion prompted a series of calls to the Whitefish Fire Department, he said.

“We had neighbors walking up from a mile and a half away saying they heard it,’ Kennelly said.

Firefighters remained at the scene until about 2:30 p.m.

He said the incident should act as a reminder for people to call 911 if they smell gas in their homes.

Reporter Eric Schwartz may be reached at 758-4441 or by e-mail at eschwartz@dailyinterlake.com.