SMYRNA, Tenn. (WSMV) – John Ross says it was a typical Sunday afternoon in his Smyrna neighborhood. That was until just before 4:30 p.m.

For the next six hours, neighbors say, everyone was fully committed to helping their neighbors in need.

“Every single person in that neighborhood came out of their house and ran to his house to try to get him out,” John Ross said.

The smoke from the fire was a signal to those rushing to rescue Jerry Warren and his wife. Several neighbors told us Warren died Monday morning from injuries sustained in the explosion.

“It was… scary,” Ross said. “I mean, you’ve never seen anything like it.”

Although no official cause has been determined, several neighbors told us Warren had been working on his water heater inside the house. City workers were out Monday morning working on the natural gas lines in front of the house.

Ross says this wasn’t the outcome he and his neighbors were hoping for, but he’s glad to know he’s in good hands should he ever find himself in a situation where he needs his neighbors’ help.

“We are just so blessed to live in such a neighborhood,” Ross added.

Neighbors say everyone will pitch in to help the family with whatever they need after the explosion.

The cause remains under investigation by the Smyrna Fire Department.

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