TRUMBULL COUNTY Fire official: Blast likely from gas leak

The victims smelled something before the explosion, officials said.
By PEGGY SINKOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- A natural-gas leak is the most likely cause of a blast that destroyed a Warren Township home and sent two people to the hospital.
According to Chuck Hanni of the state fire marshal's office, the explosion that destroyed the single-story home of Michelle and Robert Small, 2416 Wood-Lenhart Road, was caused by a gas leak inside the house.
The explosion happened around 5 p.m. Sunday.
"It appears at this time that there was a gas leak between the meter and the appliances," Hanni said Monday. "The gas built up inside a crawl space until it got close to the hot water, and the flame from that caused it to ignite."
He said neither of the Smalls smoked.
"The victims said they had smelled what they believed to be fuel oil about an hour before the explosion," Hanni noted.
The couple are both at Cleveland Metro Hospital and in serious condition.
After the explosion, the couple was able to get out of the home, Hanni said.
Animal rescued
Neighbors say Michelle Small didn't want to leave her home until she rescued the dog. The dog was taken to the Animal Welfare League for treatment, firefighters said.
A spokeswoman for the Animal Welfare League said the dog was taken to a local veterinarian and is expected to recover.
Michelle and Robert Small suffered burns on their arms and faces, neighbors said.
Officials said ammunition stored in the house may have caused additional explosions. Neighbors said Small was a hunter.
"The ammunition was basically shotgun shells," said Frank D'Alesio, agent in charge of the Youngstown office of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. "We didn't find anything criminal."
The township fire department had asked ATF and the state fire marshal's office to assist.
Bricks from the home flew into neighbors' yards, and part of the roof landed on the couple's car. A pickup truck and a satellite dish next to the home didn't appear to be damaged.
Firefighters were able to get the blaze under control quickly but stayed in the area for several hours trying to figure out what happened. The gas company was also called out to turn the gas off, officials said.
Neighbors said the Smalls, who have lived in the neighborhood for about 10 years, recently had siding and roofing work completed on the home.
Quality Builders did the work on the home, and a man answering the phone for the company said the work had been completed about a week ago.
sinkovich@vindy.com