A retired couple married for over six decades died in a powerful Pennsylvania house explosion on Tuesday.
“First arriving Fire units reported a house completely on the ground with a large debris field, with reports of two occupants unaccounted for,” officials said. “The explosion could be felt and heard for many miles away.”
Crews eventually located two victims, later identified as 89-year-old David Mitchell Jr. and 87-year-old Helen Mitchell, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner told PEOPLE.
Debris remains after a house explosion on Tuesday, March 12, 2024 in Crescent Township, Pa.Tim Robbibaro/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP
Tim Robbibaro/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP
An investigation into the blast is ongoing.
Crescent Township Fire Department Chief said the explosion was “absolutely extreme,” and that “you could feel it in your chest,” according to theAssociated Press.
TheAkron Beacon Journalreported that the devastation completely leveled the couple’s home and left a smoldering crater in the foundation and basement. Debris surrounded the property and reached the Ohio River, which is roughly half a mile away.
The explosion even knocked out windows and damaged the door to Mary Zawoysky’s home, perCBS affiliate KDKA.
“There were things flying through the air, all over the place,” she told the station. “I looked outside and there was a giant flame, and I could not see the house through there, which made me think it was gone.”
Propane tanks and a private gas well on the property were secured, according to the AP and theAkron Beacon Journal.It’s unclear if they played a role in the explosion.
The couple’s son James told KDKA his parents, who were married for 64 years, were “wonderful people” and “the best kind of parents.”
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In the township of about 2,500, many people knew the couple who were being honored for their involvement in the community, according to the outlet
Zawoysky told the outlet the community plans to “help in any way we can.”
source: people.com
