One home was destroyed in an explosion and 23 were damaged after a natural gas line was struck, the Twinsburg Fire Department said Thursday evening.
No one was home in the Hiram Lane house in Twinsburg Township that was destroyed by the blast, according to fire department spokesman Lt. Michael Perlatti.
On Hiram Lane, off of Darrow Road, 15 houses were damaged heavily, including three that had fire damage. Eight homes on nearby Fairway Boulevard had moderate damage, according to asssessments by Hudson Fire Department officials, Perlatti said.
No fatalities have been reported. Only one minor injury was reported, the Summit County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement on social media June 25.
The house explosion was reported around 4:40 p.m., the sheriff’s office said.
“Approximately one hour prior, Twinsburg Fire Department and Sheriff’s deputies responded to the area for an ongoing gas line leak caused by a contractor drilling,” the sheriff’s office said.
Twinsburg police, the sheriff’s office and the state fire marshal, as well as other state agencies, are investigating, Perlatti said.
Shortly after the line was struck by crews working in the area, the fire department issued an emergency shelter-in-place order for residents of Hiram Lane, Hiram Square and Dorset Lane.
Enbridge Ohio, the natural gas company, was contacted and employees were in the area within 15 minutes, Perlatti said.
“They were going to investigate where the leak was coming from, not knowing what had exactly happened, and at that point there was a large explosion,” he said.
Chris Hamed, who lives next door to the house that exploded in the 2100 block of Hiram Lane, managed to escape, along with three small children.
“The fire came up from my toliet, the doors caved in,” he said.
Now, he says, “I literally have nowhere to go.”
The city of Hudson said state Route 91 north of Middleton Road, on the border of Hudson and Twinsburg Township, was closed in both directions because of the explosion. The advisory was sent at 6:30 p.m.
As of 6:45 p.m., the only people permitted back in the area are those who need to pick up medication or pets, Perlatti said. Much debris is in the area.
On a day with storms in the area, debris that landed in the trees, such as glass, lumber and nails, was dropping every time the trees swayed, Perlatti said.
The Hudson Fire Department was assisting with the response. Because the incident occurred in Twinsburg, the Twinsburg Fire Department is the lead agency managing the emergency response, Hudson stated in a news release.
Residents in the Hiram Lane area earlier were advised that until the gas leak is under control, they should not turn electrical devices on or off, start cars and should avoid anything that could create a spark. Appliances that are already on should be left on, according to the fire department.
Residents were told to stay in place until further notice.
This is a developing story that will be updated as information becomes available.
Reporter Alisson Toro-Lagos can be reached at AToroLagos@usatodayco.com. Beacon Journal editor Mary Kay Quinn contributed to this story.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Twinsburg Twp. home destroyed, 15 others damaged after gas line struck
Reporting by Alisson Toro-Lagos, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Alisson Toro-Lagos, Akron Beacon Journal | USA TODAY Network
