Propane tank caused central El Paso house fire that filled the night sky with smoke, flames

UPDATE: The El Paso Fire Department confirmed with ABC-7 that a propane tank accidentally caused the house fire in central El Paso that lit up the night sky Saturday.

Jorge Sanchez, the homeowner, said he was having a cookout with his family. He had just bought a new propane tank for his grill.

Sanchez told ABC-7 he started to hear a loud hissing noise from the tank only to realize that the tank was not properly sealed. Shortly after, a large explosion happened in his back yard.

"It looked like probably a flame thrower spitting out flames," Sanchez said. "My first reaction was to get everybody out of the house.” 

He, along with 11 others, were at the home on the 4100 block of La Luz made it out safely. A majority of the residents went out the front door, while Sanchez and a friend jumped the back fence. His three dogs were also able to make it out alive.

ABC-7 learned that wires from a nearby power line fell as a result of the fire causing them to spark, but was ultimately not the cause of the fire.

The family has set up a GoFund me account, you can find it by clicking here.

ORIGINAL REPORT: EL PASO, Texas — A house fire burning in central El Paso Saturday night lit up the night sky, but officials said no injuries were reported.

Firefighters battled the blaze that took place in the 4100 block of La Luz near Gateway South, with smoke and flames from that fire widely visible across the area.

Fire officials said the people living in the home all made it out safely and no one was hurt. It took crews about an hour to bring that fire under control.

The cause for that blaze was under investigation, but witnesses said a downed power line may have sparked the fire.