Neighbors next door to Ballantyne home explosion forced to move as house is now ‘unsafe to live in’

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - The Ballantyne home explosion, which the Charlotte Fire Department believe was caused by a gas leak, leveled the home and also impacted several other homes around it.

Many of the homes had debris in the yards, or even doors blown off their hinges. But the home directly next door took the biggest impact.

Those homeowners are now leaving their property and they might not be able to move back in for another 8-12 months.

That’s what they were told at least after having their home inspected. The blast apparently made it unsafe to live in and structurally unsound.

“There are some real structural issues,” said John Fasti, who was inside the home when the explosion happened.

The family spent the afternoon packing up as many things as they could fit in their cars, preparing to move to a rental home until they can move back in.

“You could feel the whole house move, it was insane,” Fasti said.

The damage to their house was centralized near the garage, something they think will have to be completely rebuilt. Debris also shattered windows and impacted others rooms in their homes.

The whole incident shows how fragile life really is. Many in the Ballantyne community said they wish they knew the Karam’s better.

“Things like this happen and you don’t realize it until it does happen,” he said. “You just have to be grateful about everything and take everything a day at a time.”

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