An Avondale home was engulfed in flames following a gas explosion early Monday morning, resulting in the death of an 87-year-old woman and leaving five family members, including two children, injured. Reports from WDSU identified the deceased as Deloris Gabriel, a longtime inhabitant of the Avondale Gardens community.
As per a spokesperson for the Jefferson Parish Fire Department, the explosion took place around 5 a.m. near U.S. Highway 90 and the 500 block of Avondale Garden Road, after a cement truck accidentally backed over a gas line. In a statement obtained by WWL Louisiana, firefighters had expected Atmos, the utility company, to urgently respond before an explosion was heard at the home located at 535 Avondale Garden Road.
The Jefferson Parish Fire Department secured the gas line by approximately 8 a.m., and though gas remains shut off in the area, Atmos Energy continues their investigation into the incident. Atmos also issued a statement encouraging the public to quickly react to any signs of a gas leak by leaving the area and contacting emergency services from a safe distance.
Further details obtained by NOLA.com reveal that, among the injured were two of Deloris Gabriel's adult sons, including Clarence Gabriel, who suffered severe burns while trying to save his mother, and her grandchildren, a 4-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy, along with their mother. McDouglas Gabriel, one of the victim's sons, remembered his mother as someone who "would do anything for anybody." No further information on the condition of the survivors was immediately available.
