Sheriff: Oneonta house explosion accidental, result of human error

Dec. 10—A deadly house explosion Saturday night left a neighborhood in Oneonta's West End stunned as town leaders and emergency response crews worked to return residents to their homes.

The cause of the explosion, which leveled the two-story house at 18 Richards Ave., was accidental and a result of human error, according to the Otsego County Sheriff's Office. Sheriff Richard Devlin did not immediately respond when asked for further details Sunday.

Desmond D. Moan, 60, who lived in the house, died in the blast.

According to a media release issued just after 3 p.m. Sunday, Sheriff Richard Devlin said that the state Office of Fire Prevention and Control with assistance from the sheriff's office led the investigation and made the determination.

The town of Oneonta, the city of Oneonta Fire Department, Otsego County Office of Emergency Services, Otsego County Special Operations Team, New York State Police, NYSEG and the state Department of Public Services assisted in the investigation.

According to an earlier media release from the Otsego County Sheriff's Office, the Oneonta Fire Department and several mutual aid departments responded to the scene around 5:30 p.m. Saturday.

Emergency crews found "multiple residential structures with severe damage and an active structure fire," the release said.

The house at 20 Richards Ave. subsequently caught fire, while the house at 16 Richards Ave. was heavily damaged from blast debris.

Police and firefighters evacuated residents from the area beginning at 6:40 p.m.

Once the fire was extinguished, the release said, Moan was found dead. A neighboring resident received medical attention for minor injuries sustained during the explosion.

Gov. Kathy Hochul released a statement Saturday night via Twitter/X which confirmed the fatality and included that NYSEG had been on site responding to a reported gas odor prior to the explosion.

Polly Bailey, of 15 Richards Ave., said Saturday that the blast blew off her front door, while Tyler Coffin, 15, who was upstairs at Bailey's home, said a piece of the ceiling fell on him.

Witnesses described feeling a boom around the time of the explosion across the city of Oneonta and as far as Meridale in Delaware County. Others reported glass being blown out of windows.

The area was under investigation Sunday, as NYSEG worked on restoring utilities and county emergency operations officials worked to clean up the site of the explosion.

Town of Oneonta Supervisor Randal Mowers had declared a local state of emergency in the area around 11:30 p.m. Saturday.

The affected area included all properties within the area bounded by Winney Hill Road to the west, Blanchard Avenue and Butler Street to the north, Jackson Avenue, Madison Avenue and Murdock Avenue to the east and Chestnut Street to the south.

There are about 33 houses in the area, Mowers said.

The Oneonta Town Hall was open to the public Sunday as town and county leaders worked to assess the immediate needs of neighborhood residents.

The only access to the area Sunday was through a command center set up at the corner of Richards Avenue and Chestnut Street by Dante's Pizza.

Residents were escorted to their homes by county emergency management personnel and a representative from NYSEG to clear the house before entering.

Mowers said Sunday that people were allowed to retrieve only essentials, such as pets and prescription medication, and not pack trucks with belongings.

About 25 households sought help at the Town Hall. Mowers, town Code Enforcement Officer Paul Neske, Town Board member Skylar Thompson and County Board of Representatives member Michelle Catan, District 4, were on hand.

Thompson said residents were concerned about the damage to their houses, what's next in the process, when they could go back in.

"We've had people here pretty much all morning," he said. "I've been here since 7:30 [a.m.] and people have been in and out."

He said some of the evacuated people spent the night with family, friends and in hotels.

Mike Jacobs, of 26 Richards Ave., said he was outside his house getting ready to close the garage for the night when he heard a bang.

"I think it stunned me a little bit, I didn't really realize exactly what had happened," he said, "and then I turned around and I saw the sky was orange."

He walked down the driveway and saw a fire in the road.

"I thought a car exploded," he said. "It was a piece of the house that had blown out."

He heard the sirens as fire trucks arrived. At around 6:30 p.m., the power went off.

"We came outside and they had started to cordon off the area, and they kept saying, 'you've got to move back, you've got to move back.' And then about 7:30 [p.m.] or so they said, 'you have to leave.'"

Jacobs was able to retrieve his CPAP machine, and then he, his wife, Cory, 17-year-old son TJ and their dogs went to the Hampton Inn, which he said was accommodating and "really made things easier last night."

Affected residents who require housing can contact the Otsego County Office of Emergency Services at 607-547-5351.

The Otsego County Office of Emergency Services and partners the American Red Cross are working on providing additional resources, including disaster mental health services.