An August house explosion in Claypool that resulted in a woman’s death has been determined to be accidental.
Numerous emergency personnel responded to the residence, located at 4678 South CR 450 West, Claypool, on August 25 in regards to a house that had exploded.
Officials arrived and discovered massive destruction. There were no walls left standing after the explosion.
One of the home owners, Larry G. Justis, had been dug from the rubble and airlifted to a Fort Wayne hospital in critical condition. His wife, Kay A. Justis, was located deceased in the debris by fireman and sheriff deputies.
Kay Justis was determined to have died from blunt force trauma as a result of the explosion by the Kosciusko County Coroner’s Office.
Larry Justis has since been released from Parkview Regional Medical Center, suffering from back injuries, according to Sgt. Chad Hill, Public Information Officer for the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department.
A joint investigation by the Burket/Seward Township Fire Department, Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department, and the Indiana State Fire Marshal’s Office has determined that the explosion was accidental in nature.
There was a reasonable probability that an LP gas leak near a gas clothes dryer, that subsequently ignited during an electrical event in or near an electrical service panel according to evidence.
