SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP — A house explosion in Richland County left one woman dead and two people hospitalized Friday afternoon.
The residence, located at 4031 Hook Road near Crestline and Ohio 314, was leveled during the explosion.
Springfield Township Fire Department was dispatched to the Hook Road home shortly after 1 p.m. Friday, according to a press release from the Richland County Emergency Management Agency.
“Upon arrival, debris was spread throughout the yard and the home was demolished,” the release said. “Several individuals were at the home at the time of the explosion.”
Bob Ball, chief investigator for the Richland County Coroner’s Office, told Richland Source on Saturday the deceased was identified as Krista Cramer, 47.
Ball said Cramer was in the basement of the residence with her husband at the time of the explosion. Her husband survived, but was also burned and hospitalized, he said.
Firefighters accessed basement via ladders
During an interview with WMFD, Springfield Township Fire Chief Adam Spellman said firefighters found an active fire in the home’s basement upon arrival.
Spellman was unavailable to provide comments to Richland Source on Saturday morning.
The Springfield Township fire chief said an additional female victim was outside of the house during the blast.
“She was transported by our EMS unit to a local hospital. I don’t know the status on her or the extent of her injuries,” he told WMFD on Friday afternoon.
Spellman told local reporters at the scene Friday that upon arrival, firefighters were notified Cramer and her husband were trapped in the home’s basement.
“Crews quickly put water on the fire, we got it knocked down and were able to make access into the basement via some ladders from the trucks and found one of the victims under a pile of rubble,” he told local reporters.
“He (Cramer’s husband) was awake and talking. He had some significant burns on his body, and he was transported via LifeFlight helicopter to Ohio State Wexner Medical Center in Columbus.”
Cramer was found along an opposite wall covered with debris, Spellman told Mansfield News Journal.
“She (Cramer) had some injuries that were incompatible with life, so she was unfortunately a deceased victim and she was removed as well,” he told local reporters.
Cause of explosion under investigation
Spellman told local reporters on the scene Friday the cause of the explosion is under investigation by the Ohio State Fire Marshal’s Office and reported no injuries to firefighters.
Several area fire departments provided mutual aid including Troy, Jefferson, Plymouth, Madison and Washington townships, as well as Crestline, Galion, Mansfield and Shelby.
The Richland County Sheriff’s Office, Ohio State Highway Patrol and Metro Life Flight were also on scene, according to the Richland County EMA.
(Below are photos taken Saturday at the site of Friday’s house explosion, 4031 Hook Road.)
