CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — The man injured in a house explosion in Clarksburg has died.
The victim was being treated for life-threatening injuries at United Hospital Center.
The explosion occurred Sunday afternoon at around 3:30 at a house on Kramer Street in the Chestnut Hills neighborhood.
The area was evacuated with a temporary warming shelter set up at Robert C. Byrd high school until other arrangements could be made Sunday night into Monday morning.
Pegi Bailey, director of the Harrison County Office of Emergency Management, told WKMZ’s “The Morning Spiel” that the explosion could apparently be heard and felt for several blocks into downtown Clarksburg.
Bailey said the victim was pulled from the rubble.
“There was a Harrison County Sheriff’s deputy that lived in that area, and he responded to the scene,” Bailey said. “He helped rescue that man from the residence along with bystanders.”
Few details are known yet about what exactly caused the explosion. Hope Gas has had crews on scene around-the-clock since the explosion. Meanwhile, there was a report of a gas odor in the area.
“As far as we know, that’s exactly what occurred,” Bailey said.
As a result, gas has been turned off in parts of the Chestnut Hills neighborhood. Some residents have begun returning to their homes in the five-block radius surrounding Kramer Street. As of Monday morning, residents on at least 15 streets had been cleared to return.
“The police chief for Clarksburg and the city manager of Clarksburg are establishing what streets the gas company is not aware of that was evacuated in that zone,” Bailey said. “They’re trying to go street by street to determine who all can go home.”
There will be some traffic delay on Chestnut Street as a result of the ongoing response.
“It’s as safe as it can be right now,” Bailey said. “Just mind the barricades. If you see an officer there, don’t pass [and] don’t go. Keep yourself safe.”
The full incident remains under investigation.
In correspondence Monday morning with T.J. Meadows of MetroNews “Talkline”, representatives from Hope Gas confirmed that the crews are working to ensure that customers are safe, service is restored for the evacuated families who need to return home, and that holes in the streets from Hope Gas drilling during the response will be repaired.
Any questions about the service area in Chestnut Hills or in Clarksburg can be directed to Hope Gas at a non-emergency line established at 1-800-688-4673.