Neighbors say they are shocked and still processing Tate Twp. explosion in the house

TATE TOWNSHIP, Ohio – A house explosion leaves fatalities two and another hospitalized has left residents of a Tate Township neighborhood shocked.

Bethel-Tate Fire Chief Christopher Cooper said crews were dispatched to the home on Joy Vic Drive around 8:44 a.m. for an explosion. The home was heavily damaged and still actively burning when WCPO crews arrived.

Cooper said the explosion was so strong it sent debris through the neighborhood and caused minor damage to nearby homes.

The explosion killed two yet-to-be-identified people, while a third person was taken to hospital with burns. Cooper said he had no update on that person’s condition.

The neighbors we spoke to told us they didn’t know what was going on when they first heard the noise.

“I was sleeping and woke up to a huge explosion,” said Derrick Gullet, who lives next door.

Another neighbor, Deborah Stoner, said she initially thought a tree had fallen on her property.

House explosion east of Cincinnati kills 2 people and injures 1

The explosion has left the community in shock; some still can’t process what happened.

“Wake up, make coffee, and you know you’re coming home and … some of your neighbors are gone,” said Keith Lampkin, who lives a few houses down from the explosion. “It’s just weird, it’s just really bizarre.”

Some neighbors we spoke to said the result of the explosion was like something you see during war. Others told me it was nothing they could have imagined.

“You know, how bad can it be? And then when you get there, there’s just a crater, and it’s like, ‘Oh, this was actually a lot worse than I thought it would be,'” Lampkin said.

Stephanie Young lives down the street from the explosion. When she realized what had happened, she ran to help.

“I immediately thought, if they’re still alive, they need help,” Young said.

And she wasn’t the only one who took action; other neighbors had the same instinct and hoped to help.

“That’s our neighborhood,” Gullet said. “We all went to help and there was nothing we could have done.”

Those who knew the couple who lived in the house say they kept to themselves but were friendly and always willing to help. And now they are willing to stand up for the loved ones left behind and come together as a neighborhood.

“If there’s anything any of the neighbors can do, we would do it,” Young said.

According to the League for Animal Welfare in Batavia, there are cats that survived the explosion. Two of those cats, they said, are in their shelter. Two more could follow later.

“There are cats that have survived, and rescuers have been trying to capture and care for them all day,” the shelter said.

They are asking anyone who can to help foster one or more cats. You can find more information here.

“I believe we will all get through this together,” Gullet said.