Red Bud firefighters extinguish the blaze Tuesday morning on Lost Acres Lane. (James “Tal” Moss photo)

A homeowner is lucky to be alive following an explosion in his garage near Red Bud.

The Red Bud Fire Department responded about 9:45 a.m. Tuesday to a house fire at 3781 Lost Acres Lane off Ames Road in rural Monroe County.

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Department and Monroe County EMS also responded to the scene. The fire was mostly confined to the attached garage area of the home.

Red Bud Fire Chief Kevin Miller told the North County News that the homeowner, Ron Hughes, was in the garage/basement area filling his lawnmower with gasoline. Unfortunately, he was too close to the hot water heater at the time and gas fumes ignited, causing an explosion.

Miller added that Hughes is fortunate and the situation could have been much worse. Hughes was injured in the incident and was transported by Monroe County EMS to a St. Louis hospital.

The lawnmower and a vehicle inside the garage were totally destroyed, and another vehicle sustained minor damage.