This is what's left of a New Market home on Tanner Drive following a massive house fire Thursday evening.
A New Market neighborhood is in shock Friday after a fire destroyed a home there.
An elderly couple's home full of precious memories burned almost entirely to ash Thursday evening.
Moores Mill Volunteer Firefighter, Ethan Fitzgerald, confirmed at least one propane tank exploded and shot out of the home like a bomb. He says they found it a few houses over.
The exact cause of the fire is still under investigation.
However, Fitzgerald says ammunition and raw gunpowder may have been laying around, which could have fueled the fire.
Fitzgerald says fires like this are more common than people think, and they are often devastating.
"Obviously, this house is a complete loss. Our hearts go out to this family," Fitzgerald explained. "It's bittersweet as a firefighter to see. Obviously, we want to protect all property. There were neighbors that were protected, but at the end of the day, that means nothing to the family that just lost everything."
He says it's unfortunate that this home on Tanner Drive had to become such a harsh example of fire safety.
"Clutter is bad, but anything that can ignite is far worse," Fitzgerald said.
He recommends keeping propane tanks out of your garage, shed or home and away from tools.
Fitzgerald also says you never want to have your propane tanks exposed to excessive heat. He suggest keeping all items at least 10 feet away from them at all times.
When a fire does break out, Fitzgerald recommends giving firefighters enough space to put out the flames.
"Everyone wants to run toward it to make sure that their neighbors are OK, but the best thing you can do is stand back and provide information to 911 dispatchers," Fitzgerald said.
Yet, that's tough to do when a massive explosion happens in your neighborhood.
Hannah McFadden lives just down the street from where the home used to be.
She says she heard the explosion from far away and told her husband they needed to see what was going on.
"It was just insane to see all of the flames pouring out of the garage and I mean flames twice as high as the house," McFadden explained. "And, during the biggest explosion, it was flames three to four times higher."
McFadden says she doesn't know the homeowners personally, but she just could not stop thinking about the complete loss they were experiencing and how she would be feeling if she was in their shoes.
"We're talking about photo albums, the scrapbooks and the quilts, and the dishes, the chinaware, all of the stuff that she would've wanted to pass onto her daughters, but she won't have the chance to do that now," McFadden said.
Everyone made it out of the fire OK and no one was hurt.
But, family members of the elderly couple who lived at the home, say the fire destroyed all of their precious belongings.
They started a to help replace some of the items lost.
