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November 23, 2009

Greenbrier home explodes; six injured

At least two ejected from house by blast; cause under investigation

By Tina Alvey

An early morning explosion Monday leveled a McRoss home, injuring six people.

“All the victims were inside the house at the time of the explosion,” said Capt. Shawn Wolford of the Rainelle Volunteer Fire Department. McRoss is an unincorporated community between Charmco and Rainelle in western Greenbrier County.

At least two of the injured were thrown free of the rubble by the force of the blast.

“The call came in for the fire department at 7:15 a.m.,” Wolford said. “We arrived on scene within minutes, and two EMS units were already at the scene with the two subjects (who were blown out of the building) loaded up for transport. Then, we heard cries for help from the other side of the house and found the other four victims.”

The injured were taken by ambulance to Greenbrier Valley Medical Center in Fairlea, where five of them were readied for transport to regional trauma centers in Charlottesville, Va., and Charleston. According to Greenbrier County Sheriff James J. Childers, the five most seriously injured people suffered burns and, in one instance, severe head trauma.

Those five victims are believed to be in critical condition, according to an updated release from Childers sent at 6:48 p.m. Monday. The other person has been released from Greenbrier Valley Medical Center.

A hazardous materials team from Lewisburg was dispatched to the emergency room at GVMC to decontaminate victims and emergency workers, which Wolford described as a precautionary measure.

Authorities would confirm the name of only one of the injured, Terry Patterson Sr., the owner of the home at 1520 Crosier Road where the incident occurred. Most the victims are members of Patterson’s family, according to Childers.

“Two investigators with the state Fire Marshal’s office are digging through the rubble, trying to get to the basement,” Childers said about 3 p.m. Monday. “They hope to find evidence there of what caused the explosion.”

Investigators canvassed the area and sifted through debris, according to the updated release. The West Virginia State Police aviation unit took aerial photos of the scene to assist investigators.

The sheriff would not speculate on the cause of the blast, which also caused minor damage to a neighboring home’s screen door.

In addition to the Fire Marshal and sheriff’s department, those responding to the incident included volunteer firefighters from Rupert, Quinwood, Smoot, Clintonville and Rainelle, along with several emergency medical responders.

Firefighters encountered “very heavy fire” upon arrival at the scene, Wolford noted. “Once we got the fire knocked down, we battled hot spots all morning long,” he said.

— E-mail: talvey@register-herald.com

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