'I have seen water heaters catch fire, but not like this.' Expert weighs in on fire that destroyed Raleigh home

A fire destroyed a home Monday morning on 2309 Charny Drive in Raleigh.

Anaya Wilson, the daughter of the Air Force veteran who owns the home, said she was in the house when the fire broke out.

Around 4 a.m., the homeowner's nephew heard what sounded like gunshots, so he woke up the family.

They thought it was gunshots until they noticed the fire was coming from the garage.

The four people in the home tried to get out through the front door, but the porch was fully engulfed. They used the back door to escape, and they are all okay.

The fire department told them everything is gone.

A GoFundMe has been set up for the family in order to help with repairs on the home and replace their belongings.

Family believes they know the cause

The family of the home says they believe the fire started after their water heater exploded. Wilson said the unit was in the back of the garage, but she wasn't entirely sure if that is what truly caused it.

Wyatt Blanton, an expert service profession with Blanton's Air, Plumbing and Electric, said it was unlike anything he'd ever seen.

"I have seen water heaters catch fire, but not like this," Blanton said.

Blanton said it's possible for water heaters to explode if they're not properly installed, which is what might have cause pressure to build up in the heater and explode.

"Things like this is why it’s important to get a professional install, not a handyman. There’s a specific valve on the water heater that prevents things like this," Blanton said. "If the water heater builds up too much temperature or too much pressure, it will blow off. That was most likely improperly installed or capped off, which caused the water heater to build too much pressure and become a bomb."

Blanton said you should check and flush your water heaters at least once a year and if the water heater is around 10 to 12 years old, which is the normal lifespan of the water heaters, you should get them replaced.

Blanton also recommends removing anything flammable next to water heaters, such as paint cans, gas cans or "anything highly explosive."