The tranquility of a quiet Richland County neighborhood was shattered on Friday afternoon when a devastating house explosion claimed the life of one person and inflicted injuries upon two others, as reported by WBNS. The blast erupted at a single-family home located at 4031 Hook Road in Springfield Township, just outside the vicinity of Crestline.
Following reports of an explosion and ensuing fire, first responders were summoned to the scene around 1:30 p.m.. There, they discovered the wreckage of what once stood as a family home. The remains of the structure had been turned into a widespread debris field. Tragically, the state fire marshal is leading the ongoing investigation into the cause behind the incident, which remains unclear. According to a press release obtained by Richland Source, the Springfield Township Fire Department was dispatched immediately after the first reports.
The individual who perished in the explosion was identified as 47-year-old Krista Cramer of Lexington, who was found in the building's basement after the catastrophic event. Neighbors claimed, as cited in an NBC4i News report, that those inside at the time of the explosion were contractors present to inspect concerns about the basement raised by the homeowners, who had noticed an unusual smell.
Of the injured parties, one man, also discovered in the basement, was airlifted to a medical center in Columbus for his injuries. Chief Adam Spellman of the Springfield Township Fire Department remarked on his miraculous survival, "It was probably just the grace of God that was with him and protected him that allowed him to survive this horrific incident," according to NBC4i News, in the chaos of the aftermath where the chair he'd been sitting in purportedly offered a shield from the debris and flames. Another victim, a woman who was outside the residence at the time walking the dog, has been taken to a hospital in Mansfield for the treatment of her injuries. These personal stories of survival and loss emerge as fragments against the backdrop of a ruined home.
