911 calls reveal panic in Ellsworth home explosion

ELLSWORTH, Ohio (WKBN) – In the early morning light Saturday, the frantic calls to 911 started flooding in for a tragedy on Huxley Road in Ellsworth Township.

911 Caller: “My neighbor’s house just blew up.”
Dispatcher: “Okay”
911 Caller: Oh my God, I don’t know if they’re home.”
Dispatcher: The house is completely on fire?
911 Caller: “No, there is no house left!

As dispatchers were sending emergency crews from all around the area, neighbors too far away to actually see what had happened were calling to say they felt it.

911 Caller: “Smoke cloud and there was a huge shaking in the ground — about three seconds. I didn’t know what the hell it was.”

Neighbors nearby suffered more of the impact.

911 Caller: “There is smoke and debris everywhere. My house – everything is damaged in my house.”
Dispatcher: “Okay.”
911 Caller: “Windows are broke.”

Within minutes, the first firefighters arrived and found smoke and debris scattered all around.

A firefighter on the scene relayed the following to communications:

“This house is clearly destroyed. Appears to be from an explosion.”

Amazingly, a garage with vehicles inside was somehow still standing, but nearby structures were damaged. Insulation from what neighbors said was from some home remodeling work hung from trees in the front yard and covered the road. More radio traffic lets first responders know what they are dealing with.

Firefighter: “We have an active rescue going on.”
Dispatcher: “Copy that.”
Firefighter: Give me STAT MedEvac on standby and first available ambulance.”

Four people were killed in the explosion along with several pets that were in the house at the time.

Officials with the Ohio State Fire Marshal say their priorities now are gathering evidence from the scene and working with the coroner to identify the victims. Until that’s completed, it’s not likely we will learn much more about what may have caused the explosion.

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