'It Woke up the Whole Neighborhood'

Firefighters from the and several other departments were sorting through the wreckage of a vacant home that exploded around 5 a.m. Friday morning on Palatine Court in Fenton. The street is north of Highway 141 and west of Bowles Avenue.

"It woke up the whole neighborhood," said. Bob Regan, an across-the-street neighbor, who said the blast knocked some pictures off the wall in his home.

The exploded house recently had been rehabbed and was up for sale. A neighbor said the owners had moved from the home just two days ago. A "for sale" sign was still in the front yard.

The blast quickly led to a fire that engulfed the house. Fenton firefighters arrived on the scene at 5 a.m.

View a gallery of the fire and explosion aftermath here

There were few details about the possible cause of the explosion by mid morning Friday. The homeowners declined to comment.

One person was known to have been injured in the blaze, a man who police said was transported to a local hospital for treatment. Police also said there has been no finding as yet as to the cause of the blast.

"If there is any foul play or if it's an accident, we'll find out, said Sgt. James McWilliams, of the St. Louis County Police Department. He said the county's Bomb and Arson Squad had been called to the scene to investigate.

Neighbor Chris Curtis said the explosion blew out some windows in his home, including a large piece of glass that fell on his son, who was sleeping in a front bedroom. His son was not hurt, he said.

Curtis also managed to post a video on YouTube of the blast. It is attached to this article.