NO ONE HURT DESPITE EXPLOSION, FLAMES FIRE HITS CANYON COUNTRY HOME.

Byline: PATRICIA FARRELL AIDEM Staff Writer

CANYON COUNTRY -- An explosion sounded Friday afternoon in Canyon Country, moments before a house was engulfed in flames.

The three-bedroom home was gutted -- except for the attached garage -- but nobody was hurt, county Fire Capt. Michael Erb said.

Erb said the fire appeared to have started in the back yard of the Keaton Street home, and while the cause was unknown, investigators would look at the possibility that a propane tank had exploded.

Neighbors first hurried to help by battling the flames using garden hoses, then retreated to care for the distraught family, owners of the popular Cruz's Bridal Shop in Saugus.

``I was coming home from work and saw black smoke and flames,'' neighbor Don Richards said. ``Some of us grabbed garden hoses, but it started to get gnarly. Glass was breaking, things were popping. At one point, you know you can't do any good.

``It's so sad to lose everything.''

Fire engineer Carlo Loffredo was first on scene and saw flames shooting from the rear of the house. It was too hot to go inside.

``The house was boiling,'' Erb said. ``We're lucky nobody got hurt.''

Friends soaked towels with water spraying from a hydrant to cool and soothe a weeping Adriana Farrell who lived in the house with husband Matt, twin 18-year-old sons Matt and Andrew and 16-year-old daughter Adriana.

Andrew Farrell said he and his dad and brother had only recently painted and reroofed the house and redone the backyard. ``No one was home. I guess we were lucky,'' he said. ``The motorcycles are in the garage. I think that's all we've got left.''

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3 photos

Photo:

(1 -- 3 -- color) Above, members of the Farrell family comfort each other as firefighters attack the fire at their house. Below, fire Engineer Carlo Loffredo, left, coordinates the attack. Firefighters, bottom, douse remaining hot spots in the gutted home.

David Crane/Staff Photographer