John Shirley asks if furnace at ex-wife’s home the cause of the Indianapolis explosion

The former owner of a house that exploded in Indianapolis says he wonders if a faulty furnace might have been to blame for the blast that killed two people and destroyed or damaged dozens of homes.

John Shirley told The Associated Press on Monday that he received a text message last week from his daughter about a problem with the furnace at the house the girl shares with her mother and her mother’s boyfriend.

photo Brandon Jones

John Shirley says no one was home at the time of the explosion.

His ex-wife, Monserrate Shirley, declined to comment Monday.

Dan Able, a 58-year-old state employee who lives across the street from the flattened homes, was puzzled by the blast.

“I’m wondering about all the possibilities it could be,” he said.

Indiana real estate records show the house had been for sale for a year until it was taken off the market in March.

Jennifer and Dion Longworth were both killed in the blast that left hundreds evacuated while investigators attempt to determine the cause of the explosion.

Alex Pflanzer was sound asleep when the explosion blew out his windows and his wife started to scream.

“I didn’t know what was going on,” Pflanzer said. “I thought someone was breaking in the house, because the alarm was going off.”

Pflanzer grabbed his gun and checked the house. Then he noticed the front door was open and saw a reddish glow flickering outside.

“I walked outside and all the houses were on fire,” he said.