INDIANOLA — A propane leak is believed to be the cause of an explosion that injured a man and his dog and startled an Indianola neighborhood last weekend.

Crews from North Kitsap Fire & Rescue responded to calls reporting the sound of a car crash near the intersection of Shore Drive and Kitsap Street at 5:51 p.m. Nov. 8. Upon arrival, firefighters did not find a crashed car, but rather the aftermath of an explosion at a nearby home.

A man and his dog were trapped inside the home, in a second story rec room above a garage. Windows were blown out and walls were bowed from the force of the blast.

Firefighters freed the man — who was conscience and alert — and his dog from under drywall and debris. The man was transported to Harrison Medical Center in Bremerton and the dog was transported to an emergency veterinary clinic in Poulsbo.

Investigators concluded that propane had leaked from a tank that fed into a heater for the rec room. Propane is heavier than air, and it is believed that the gas leaked and sunk into the walls where it ignited from an unknown source. There was no evidence that a fire resulted from the explosion.

NKF&R spokeswoman Michele Laboda said in a press release that the man is an admirer of fire departments and built the structure to resemble a fire station.

The garage below holds an antique fire truck which was not damaged.