Neighborhood mourns teenager killed in home explosion

SOUTH JORDAN, Utah – A full day after a A house explosion in South Jordan killed a 15-year-old boy and forced evacuations in the areaThe seriousness of what happened in their backyard begins to dawn on the neighbors.

Raw video below shows a house explosion caught on camera:

House explosion in South Jordan

“Just terrible devastation,” said neighbor Carol Lee Doramus, who lives a few blocks away.

Doramus said she heard a loud explosion and couldn’t imagine what it was until her daughter told her what happened.

“What you notice is that the house… isn’t there,” she added. “And I looked up and it looks like a refrigerator up there on the pile. And I can’t imagine losing everything I own, my kids’ pictures, things like that.”

On Wednesday, the 15-year-old boy killed in the explosion was identified as a student at Bingham High School. His name has not been released out of respect for the family.

In an update from South Jordan Deputy Fire Chief Ryan Lessner, a gas leak was determined to be the cause of the fire and explosion.

The source of the gas leak is still under investigation.

Neighbors gathered around the boy’s family, leaving a few blue ribbons hanging from a fence that now stands in front of the spot where the house once stood.

Drone video shows aftermath of South Jordan house explosion:

Drone video from Thursday

“I couldn’t imagine that,” said neighbor David Llewellyn. “My heart, our hearts, my wife and I, go out to the family.”

Mayor Dawn Ramsey said in a city release that the family has requested privacy following the incident.

“Our community has experienced an unimaginable tragedy with the death of one of our residents after their family home exploded yesterday,” Ramsey wrote. “Our hearts are broken as we grieve alongside family, friends, neighbors and all who are grieving during this crisis. devastating time.”

A GoFundMe page was established to assist the family with the purchase of food and clothing, and to cover funeral costs.

Heartbroken over what happened, those living in the South Jordan neighborhood, like Doramus, believe they will all get through this week’s tragedy together.

“We have the most beautiful neighborhood I’ve ever lived in and I’ve lived here a long time. People come and go, but we’re always here to help.”