MOORESVILLE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — One person was killed, and another was injured in an apparent explosion that leveled a home overnight in Mooresville just off Lake Norman, according to Director of Fire Services and Emergency Management for Iredell Kent Greene.
Officials identified the person killed as Robert Matthews Farley, 61, who was staying in the home at the time of the incident; his body was recovered around 4:30 a.m. as crews searched the debris.
The house, owned by NFL cornerback Caleb Farley, once sat inside a curve on Barber Loop and could be seen in the rubble Tuesday morning, Aug. 22. The explosion was reported just before midnight.
Robert was Caleb’s father.
“My father was a stand-up guy,” Caleb told us. “He raised me to be a stand-up guy.”
Caleb was at the scene with family, speaking with fire, emergency personnel, and Queen City News.
He shared the following pictures with us:
The injured person, identified as Christian Rogers, 25, was seen leaving the property as the first emergency crews arrived at the scene and was transported to Atrium Health CMC in Charlotte with non-life-threatening injuries, officials confirmed. Rogers is a friend of the homeowner.
Authorities said Rogers “wasn’t saying much” when found and had a concussion from the blast.
Multiple agencies, including the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office, Troutman Fire, Mooresville Fire, Lake Norman Fire, and Dominion Energy, responded to the scene overnight.
Neighbors in the area told QCN they heard “a loud explosion” and smelled gas. Some also said the current homeowner (Caleb Farley) lived in the house for less than a year.
“A loud boom, about five minutes to midnight,” Clay Wild, who was out for a morning walk, told Queen City News. “A gorgeous house, in all respects; I can’t believe it.”
Details of the scene
Queen City News observed some Mooresville ladder trucks and EMS vehicles leaving the scene around 7 a.m. Tuesday. N.C. State Bureau of Investigation and ATF agents were at the scene.
Records showed that the 6,391-square-foot natural-gas home was listed for just over $2 million in 2022 and was built in 2016. The circumstances of the explosion have not yet been officially released; however, the house being reduced to rubble is similar to a 2019 gas explosion that occurred at a home in Ballantyne. One person was killed in that explosion.
Authorities said the home is a total loss, along with several vehicles.
At this time, there is no evidence of foul play. The cause of the explosion is still under investigation by the Iredell County Fire Marshal’s Office.
Watch Tuesday’s full news conference below:
Farley is a cornerback for the Tennessee Titans and played college football at Virginia Tech before the Titans drafted him in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
