Leland Officials assess damage after neighborhood explosion

LELAND, NC (WWAY) –Two days after an explosion damaged multiple homes in the Magnolia Greens neighborhood, town officials are still assessing damage and continuing cleanup.

The explosion happened around 7:30 p.m. Friday on Suncrest Way, in the Three Oaks section of Magnolia Greens. According to the Town of Leland, four homes were damaged so badly they are now considered unsafe to live in.

Joe Jancsurak has lived in the neighborhood for nearly three years. He said he and his wife were eating dinner when the explosion shook their home.

“It literally sounded like a bomb dropped on our neighborhood,” Jancsurak said.

He said neighbors quickly went outside to check on one another.

“Asking each other what we knew, which was very little,” he said. “And at this point we still don’t know a lot.”

Town inspectors assessed about 70 homes in the area, including houses several streets away from the blast site. Most properties had only minor damage. However, the four homes closest to the explosion were heavily impacted.

“Damage here on Greensview was very, very minimal,” Jancsurak said. “The folks on Suncrest have a bigger, bigger job ahead of themselves.”

Leland Chief Building Official Daniel Knoch said safety is the town’s top priority as residents start the recovery process.

“We are here to help, and it’s a really high-stress time,” Knoch said. “Everybody out here has been great, and we try to be understanding that we’re interacting with people that may be one of the worst days of their lives, so we just want to help them.”

Duke Energy responded to the neighborhood Friday night to assess power lines and utility safety. The American Red Cross is helping families who were displaced by the explosion.

As of Saturday, the cause of the blast remained under investigation.

Town officials say they plan to hold a community meeting to update residents and answer questions. A date for the meeting has not yet been announced.