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Jun 15, 2009 9:46 am US/Central
Jakes Says He Barely Avoided Explosion In Home
DALLAS (AP) ―
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Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Dallas megachurch pastor T.D. Jakes says a last-minute change of plans saved him from being killed in a natural gas explosion at his home.
Jakes told thousands at a Sunday service at The Potter House that he would have been getting dressed near the blast last week had he not suddenly had the feeling he should call off an early morning meeting. The blast that ripped through an area of his 15,000-square-foot home did not result in any injuries.
Jakes' voice shook Sunday during his emotional account of how he and a church member who drove him to the church would have been in the middle of the blast. He said "caskets would have been lined up" in front of the church.
Jakes praised God for keeping him safe and said the close call has made the cleanup of the wreckage at his Fort Worth house easier to deal with. He described his situation as "inconvenient, but alive."
Lt. Kent Worley of the Fort Worth Fire Department said Sunday that his investigators found the blast to be accidental. He said the sunroom where the explosion was centered had a gas-fed pool heater and a large gas-fed barbecue grill.
The Potter's House has more than 28,000 members. Jakes delivered a sermon at a church prayer service for Barack Obama on the morning he was sworn in as president.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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