One person is confirmed dead while another survived after a duplex exploded in American Fork, Utah, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) south of Salt Lake City, leveling the property.
When emergency responders were able to enter the interior of what was left of the duplex, they searched the rubble and pulled the victim from the ashes.
Despite providing immediate medical attention, the American Fork Fire Department confirmed the victim did not survive.
Another resident of the duplex, 82-year-old Shirley Hunt, who had lived there for 17 years, made it out alive.
“I woke up this morning and heard the address on the news, jumped into my clothes and drove here,” Hunt’s daughter Tammy Beck told the local CBS affiliate. CUTV.
When emergency responders were able to enter the interior of what was left of the duplex, they searched the rubble and pulled the victim from the ashes.
82-year-old Shirley Hunt, who had lived there for 17 years, made it out alive
Beck immediately called her family to tell them what had happened, but one of her sisters had already picked up Hunt.
Beck told KUTV that her mother said she woke up around 5 a.m. and felt hot, but decided to go back to sleep.
“She didn’t hear the explosion at all — she was sleeping,” Beck said.
When she woke up a second time around 6 a.m., Hunt said she felt uncomfortably hot, so she crawled outside and realized she was standing on the shingles of the roof.
“She started crawling out, turned around and realized her house was gone.”
‘It is a miracle. My mother is a feisty little thing, so I’m not surprised she survived, but she has no idea how she survived.”
Hunt ran to one of her neighbors and told them her house had exploded.
Beck said her mother walked away with some bruises and burns, but given the circumstances, she escaped relatively unscathed.
Hunt lived on the side of the duplex where both gas meters were.
Dominion Energy Services confirmed they were performing routine maintenance on the area the day before the explosion occurred.
“We were notified early this morning of an explosion and fire at an American Fork duplex,” a spokesperson for Dominion Energy told KUTV in an email.
“Dominion Energy is on scene assisting the American Fork Fire Department and other emergency responders with the investigation.
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life and extend our condolences to the affected family.
“At this time we are concentrating on gathering all relevant information to assist in the ongoing investigation.”
Beck told KUTV that gas inspectors said they found a gas leak in her mother’s duplex.
“They said the gas line was eroding, but they said they cleared it and she could come in.” That’s all I know,” Beck said.
Tammy Beck, Hunt’s daughter, told KUTV that her mother said she woke up around 5 a.m. and felt hot, but decided to go back to sleep
When she woke up a second time around 6 a.m., Hunt said she felt uncomfortably hot, so she crawled outside and realized she was standing on the shingles of the roof.
Beck said her mother walked away with a few bruises and burns, but considering the circumstances
Dominion Energy Services confirmed they were performing routine maintenance on the area the day before the explosion occurred
“At this time, we are focused on gathering all relevant information to assist in the ongoing investigation,” Dominion Energy Services told KUTV in an email.
Beck said the gas inspectors said the house was empty after 2-3 hours.
She also confirmed that her mother’s duplex was all electric, so she said she thinks the alleged unresolved gas leak was the cause.
The victim, Helen, had a dog that survived the explosion.