ka-BLAM!

No, Roseholme Cottage is not anywhere near the Richmond Hills subdivision. As a matter of fact, it is about fifteen miles away as the crow flies, assuming a reasonably sober crow.

Which makes the fact that I was standing on the porch late Saturday night and heard what sounded like a single rumble of thunder from the cloudless southern sky all the more impressive.

The Reynolds Wrap yarmulke crowd is already yelling "drone strike!" which I find surprising because I was unaware that they had MQ-1s carrying JDAMs now*. Don't get me wrong, a Hellfire will ruin your day, but it doesn't knock houses off their foundation three doors down, either.

While no official announcement has been made, I'm guessing a fuel-air, or "thermobaric", munition, and probably a big one; maybe 17,000-20,000 cubic feet of spark-detonated explosive gas/air mixture...

In other words, a gas leak in the unoccupied house. Given a modern, energy-efficient, darn-near-airtight house and a good leak at the water heater, it could get downright stoichiometric in there, given enough time to for the leak to hiss away before she blows.

(I'm surprised that gas explosions and fires haven't become even more common in post-foreclosure America, where metals-scavenging from unoccupied houses is a growth industry pursued by the none-too-bright with a shaky grasp of abstract concepts like workplace safety.)

*As it turns out, MQ-9s can indeed lug a couple 500-pounders into the air. Well paint me blue and call me Smurfette... Although I'm still missing a plausible reason for one to be dropped on an empty house in suburban Indianapolis. No doubt the internets will be glad to fill that little gap in for me.