Springfield Fire Rescue Division assistant fire chief Brian Leciejewski said the second woman involved in the incident remained in critical condition as of Monday.
An 11-month-old child was also hospitalized and remained at the Shriners wing at Dayton Children’s Hospital, Leciejewski said.
Springfield assistant fire chief Matt Smith said cleanup has not begun on the structure, which was estimated to be valued at $320,000, due to the ongoing investigation of the explosion. The building will likely be demolished.
The cause of the break in the gas line that resulted in the explosion and fire remains under investigation. It’s unclear how many individuals were displaced by the incident, but the Red Cross is assisting impacted families, Smith said.
Crews responded to a report of a gas leak in the 1000 block of East Home Road at about 1 p.m. on Saturday in a four-unit townhome. The explosion happened as firefighters and EMS staff arrived.
The three victims were transported from the scene in multiple medical helicopters.
A large column of smoke was coming from the structure. Fire crews worked on the ensuing blaze for about 30 to 45 minutes, according to Springfield fire chief Brian Miller on Saturday.
The incident came about two and a half weeks after another explosion in Springfield. On Tuesday, March 21, three construction workers were injured after a propane tank was damaged during work in an old Children’s Home building that’s under renovation for the Department of Job and Family Services in the 500 block of East Home Road.
Witnesses on Saturday said it was obvious something was wrong from the sounds of the incident.
“I was just sitting on my couch — I live in the apartment right across from the one that exploded,” said Daniel Kunc, a resident in the complex. “I was just sitting there and all of a sudden, I saw some fire EMTs pull up. And about 20 seconds later, the whole front of the apartment just exploded.”
Christopher Mitchell, a resident who lives upstairs, said he was asleep when he heard an explosion. He said a woman screamed that a baby was upstairs and then the firefighters went to retrieve the child.
About the Author
