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Via WTHR.com

 

The 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.

The home at 8349 Fieldfare Way is the suspected source of the powerful explosion.

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.

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

According to Marion County property records, the house is owned by 47-year-old Monserrate Shirley. Ms. Shirley and her 50-year-old ex-husband John Shirley purchased the property in December 2003.

In March 2011, the house was put up for quick sale just months before Ms. Shirley took over sole ownership.

The “quick sale” listing expired in March of this year without a successful buyer.

Eyewitness News reached both Monserrate and John Shirley on Monday. Neither wanted to talk extensively.

John Shirley agreed to a phone interview, but when we called to ask about the faulty furnace, his phone went unanswered.

When we asked Ms. Shirley about the furnace she told us, “I don’t know where he’s getting all of that.” Earlier she told us she was “busy in meetings.”

Monserrate Shirley and her 12-year-old daughter were reportedly out of town at the time of the explosion. It’s unclear if they were living in the house or if someone else had access.