Gas explosion leaves Ashland home on Prospect Street a pile of rubble, one person hurt

ASHLAND - A pile of rubble and charred debris is all that remains of the home at 304 Prospect St. after a gas explosion Sunday night.

The only person injured was the home owner, who was treated for some burn and blast injuries and transported to University Hospitals Samaritan Medical Center, according to Ashland Fire Department Capt. Mark Miller.

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It took a team of city departments and organizations almost four hours to make the area safe for passers-by and neighbors, Miller said.

"The Street Department was a big help to stabilize the structure," Miller said. "The police provided traffic control and got witness statements. And Columbia Gas was very quick to send out a crew on a holiday weekend and a Sunday night.

"This brought a lot of agencies into the event," MIller added.

Jeromesville, Savannah and Mifflin Township fire departments provided mutual aid and Ohio Edison and the Red Cross also were on the scene.

At about 7 p.m. Sunday, Miller said, the AFD received multiple calls about the explosion.

The first AFD officer to arrive on scene reported a large amount of fire, said Miller, who added that a neighbor who went out to investigate the noise assisted the victim in exiting her home.

"Columbia Gas came to the scene and shut off the gas supply to the structure so there was no danger for a leak in the area or to adjacent properties," Miller said.

The homes adjacent to 304 Prospect had some damage from fire and flying debris, as well as two vehicles parked at the neighboring homes — one flattened by a fallen wall and the other receiving thermal and debris damage, according to Miller.

The Street Department took down what little of the structure was still standing after the explosion — a chimney holding the roof up and a corner or two of the walls, Miller said.

Red Cross busy providing assistance to home explosion, other area fires

"We requested the Red Cross to provide assistance to the victims and people in the neighboring structures," MIller said. "One of the neighboring homes was displaced for the night because of issues with power and broken windows.

"We request the utility companies respond to any structure fire because we want to secure the power safely for firefighting operations," Miller added about Ohio Edison providing aid.

A Tweet from the Red Cross Northern Ohio Region thanked disaster volunteers for responding not only to the house explosion in Ashland but multiple home fires in the area during the Memorial Day weekend.

Miller said the gas explosion still is under investigation.

This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Rubble remains from Ashland house explosion, investigation continues