A family east of Calgary woke up to a bang when a set of wheels burst through their front door early Wednesday morning.

A tractor-trailer was heading north on Highway 24 near Highway 1 west of Strathmore when a set of its dual wheels came lose. The wheels flew a few hundred metres and struck the front of the home, RCMP said.

Bill Oriold had a shocking wakeup call Wednesday when two semi wheels crashed into his home. CBC

It happened around 6 a.m., when Bill Oriold usually gets up to let out his dog.

"If I would have been at that door ... I know darn well I would have been dead," he said.

But Oriold had decided to sleep in. His wife and granddaughter were also fast asleep.

"All of a sudden there was a big explosion in my house.... I thought my furnace had blown up," he said.

Const. Keith Anderson said a trucking company has come forward to claim responsibility, but whether charges will be pressed still has to be determined.

"It's possible it was a legitimate equipment failure," he said.

It is believed the vehicle involved was a large commercial semi, which is now missing a dual wheel set from the left side of a two- or three-axle trailer.