NEW VIDEO: Fire leads to explosion at Middle Amana home; no one hurt

UPDATE: No one was hurt when an explosion rocked a house in Middle Amana late this morning. Firefighters are working to control the blaze that broke out in the garage at 2812 G St. Iowa County Deputy Doug VanBennekom confirmed that no one was hurt.

David Ramsey, 73, said he was inside and his neighbor knocked on his door to say his garage was smoking around 10:30 a.m. He opened the door to look inside and flames were already shooting up a wall, near two lawn mowers, a gas can and cans of paint. He tried to go out of the open garage door, but something ignited, sending him to the ground. He got out safely. He thinks yesterday's heat might have been to blame.

“I think it was just the tremendous heat yesterday,” Ramsey said. “The garage always gets hot. Something probably just let loose.”

Linda McDowell, 62, of Middle Amana, was the woman who knocked on Ramsey's door. She said she drove by and saw smoke coming from the garage. She turned around, looked inside the garage and saw the flames.

“I ran around to the front side of the house and banged on his door,” McDowell said.

Ramsey has singed hair, but is otherwise OK. He fears that his 16-year-old French Poodle and pet bird are dead.

Neighbors say they heard two blasts.  Ramsey says he sustained an injury while serving in Vietnam that damaged his hearing, so he didn't hear the initial explosion. He said he was grateful that someone saw the fire and warned him.