Man dies after Musk Twp house explosion

MUSKEGON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) - A Muskegon man has died after sustaining burns to 80% of his body when there was an explosion at his home early Tuesday.

Charles Wilbur, 48, died Wednesday, according to the Muskegon Charter Township Fire Department.

Wilbur was hospitalized in critical condition Tuesday morning after there was an explosion at his house in the 2100 block of Vine Avenue, which then caught fire.

When firefighters arrived on the scene around 5:25 a.m. Tuesday, they found that the single-story house was fully engulfed, according to the fire department. Its roof and part of the east exterior wall had collapsed.

When the east wall collapsed, firefighters said, it severed part of the natural gas line. That caused an isolated natural gas-fed fire near where the meter had been on the exterior wall.

Firefighters had the fire under control by about 5:47 p.m.

Wilbur was taken to a Grand Rapids hospital and died Wednesday sometime between 9 a.m., when he was listed in critical condition, and when family members notified the fire department at 3:05 p.m.

Investigators still don't know what caused the initial explosion, they said. They have ruled out a natural gas leak, appliance failure, and drug manufacturing.

The fire remains under investigation.