Body found after house explosion in Scituate

(Jim Davis/Globe Staff)

A piece of furniture came to rest in the trees after the blast.

By Michael Levenson, Emily Sweeney, Martin Finucane, and Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

SCITUATE -- A body has been found in the ruins of a Turner Road house that was destroyed today by a tremendous explosion that damaged seven other houses and rattled windows for miles.

Daigo Fujiwara

Fire Chief Richard Judge did not release any further details on the discovery of the body.

"There was a fatality. One confirmed," he said at a news conference this afternoon.

Judge said the blast damaged four houses so severely "they will not be able to be occupied for quite a while." At least 15 to 20 people have been displaced, he said. He also said there was one injury but did not provide details.

The blast splintered the home, leaving only a charred pit billowing with white smoke. Clothing and furniture hung from tree branches above the property in this dense residential neighborhood.

Investigators from the state fire marshal's office are at the scene. “What caused the explosion --we don’t have any clue of that yet,” Judge said.

The discovery of the body added an unexpected twist to the story. A town official had said earlier that no one was in the house when it blew up.

Edward W. Himelrick was putting stamps on Christmas cards in his house across the street when the explosion happened.

"It was like a bomb exploded around here. It really went off pretty good," he said.

The blast knocked pictures off his wall and shattered his windows, according to Himelrick, who walked outside and saw a towering fireball.

"And I said, 'Holy cow, where's the house?'" Himelrick said. "It literally blew the house apart."

The owner of the home, Kim Chubbuck, rushed to the scene from her job at South Shore Hospital and stood near her property wearing blue hospital scrubs.

"I don’t know. We're just waiting," Chubbuck said. "They won't let me go to the house yet."

The owner of the home, Kim Chubbuck, rushed to the scene from her job at South Shore Hospital and stood near her property wearing blue hospital scrubs.

"I don’t know. We're just waiting," Chubbuck said. "They won't let me go to the house yet."

Police and firefighters raced to the scene after the blast at about 2:30 p.m.

Bay State Gas spokesman Don DiNunno said the company had received a call from a neighbor on Turner Road reporting an odor of gas at about 2 p.m. The company sent a technician to respond. Before the technician arrived, the company received another call saying the house had exploded.

“The cause is under investigation,” DiNunno said. “We don’t know what caused it.”

“You would never know there was a house, it was just flames,” said Mary Ellen Langan, 75, who lives a few doors down on Turner Road. “People were frightened. I think it’s because so much is going on in the world.”

The concussion was felt almost a mile away at Scotty's Market.

"Oh, Lord, it scared me half to death," said Cindy Farrell. "The entire store shook. People were coming out of their houses because of the vibration."

Chief Judge said the Red Cross would be on the scene assisting and, if necessary, would open up Scituate High School as a shelter.

Globe correspondents Anne Baker and Casey Ramsdell contributed to this report.

•  Previous Entry
• Next Entry 

next article in local news Student's burned body found in Hyannis previous article in local news After taxicab assaults, Boston Police warn women to be vigilant