BOONE COUNTY - The neighbor who made the 911 call said Friday the cause of the camper explosion that occured north of Columbia Thursday night was an over-extended electrical cord and two oxygen tanks.
Boone County Fire officials could not confirm that cause Friday as their investigation into the camper explosion continued.
Neighbor Garret Hartlock said he called 911 around 8:45 p.m. after he and his wife heard an explosion that was so loud it shook his windows. Hartlock said, "I was worried because we knew there was a gas tank within 40 or 50 feet of the camper and then things could've gotten really bad."
Hartlock said he heard investigators suspected an electrical cord extended from the main garage started sparking, which caused two oxygen tanks within the camper to overheat and thus explode.
"We were just worried that somebody was inside of it. Thankfully, no one was hurt," Hartlock said.
Boone County firefighters responded to the explosion off Willis Road. No one was inside the 12-foot camper at the time, but officials said one man lived in the camper full time.
Boone County fire officials are still working on the investigation, and said they could not declare a final cause yet.