MEGHAN BARR
Associated Press

SUFFIELD, Ohio - An Ohio home exploded into flames early Wednesday, killing a woman and her grandson in a blast that was heard miles away and leaving nothing at the site but a large crater filled with debris.


Firefighters were still dousing the smoking wreckage as the victims' family members walked through the debris in shock. Killed in the explosion were Regina Proudfoot, 63, and her 21-year-old grandson, Robert Croft, said Portage County Sheriff David Doak.

"We thought it was an airplane crash in the backyard," said Mike Baughman, who lives next door. "We ran to the windows and saw Regina's place on fire. And then about a minute later there was a subsequent explosion."

Investigators have confirmed the explosion was related to a propane tank in the home, but the exact cause is still under investigation, said Shane Cartmill, spokesman for the state fire marshal.

No one else was injured.

The booming blast at about 4 a.m. was heard several miles away by Suffield Township Fire Chief Bob Rasnick, who said three nearby homes were also damaged from flying debris.

"We could only get so close because of the amount of debris," Rasnick said. "We found a ball of fire from the gas that was still feeding the fire. The family lives right next door, and they told us that there were two people inside the house."

Proudfoot's daughter, who lives next door, was screaming that her family members were inside, Baughman said.

"A lot of screaming, and just a lot of devastation for that family," he said. "It was sad because the husband passed away building that house a year ago from a heart attack in the basement."


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