Gas Line Strike Triggers Explosion, Destroying 3 Homes and Damaging Dozens More in Twinsburg Township

A construction mishap in the Woodlands subdivision sent shockwaves through Summit County and prompted an immediate halt to underground drilling operations A work crew installing fiber optic cable struck a natural gas line Thursday afternoon in Twinsburg Township, triggering a massive explosion that destroyed three homes, damaged roughly 35 others and left families in the Woodlands subdivision wondering what comes next. The explosion was reported around 4:40 p.m. on Hiram Lane, according to the Summit County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities confirmed no fatalities. One person was transported to the hospital with injuries from the blast. A second resident was also taken to a hospital for an unrelated medical issue. How It Started The situation began when a work crew installing fiber optic internet service struck a natural gas line on Hiram Lane. Investigators described it as a construction mishap. The broken line released a large amount of gas into the neighborhood. Twinsburg Fire Department Lt. Michael Perlatti said crews responded to the gas leak and quickly determined conditions were dangerous. There was not enough wind, and the gas had settled low into the neighborhood. The department immediately called for evacuation and issued a shelter-in-place order for residents on Hiram Lane, Hiram Square and Dorset Lane. Enbridge Ohio, the natural gas company, was contacted and had employees on scene within 15 minutes. Fire crews were still working the leak when the explosion occurred, approximately one hour after the initial call. Perlatti told FOX 8 News just how close it came to being far worse. “Per one of the Enbridge representatives, as he described it, he said, ‘You know, another 30 seconds and we probably could have been in the blast zone.’ That’s how close that was to going off and you can’t predict that,” Perlatti said. The Explosion Something in the neighborhood ignited the gas. The blast was heard and felt across the region. One Twinsburg Township resident described the moment it hit. “All of a sudden, this big kaboom like I’ve never heard before. My house actually shook and I didn’t know what happened. I thought a tree fell over; I thought we had an earthquake. I didn’t know, I’ve never experienced anything like it,” said Carl Snyder. One home on Hiram Lane exploded. Fire spread immediately to the homes on either side. Three homes were ultimately a total loss. Fire investigators confirmed that approximately 35 others sustained varying degrees of damage on Hiram Lane and neighboring streets. Fifteen homes on Hiram Lane were heavily damaged. Eight homes on Fairway Boulevard sustained moderate damage. The homeowners of the house where the explosion originated were not home at the time. Firefighters said they are grateful no one was killed. “The house that was where the initial explosion was, those folks were not home, so that was a blessing,” Lt. Perlatti said. Eyewitness Accounts The force of the blast shook homes well beyond the immediate zone. Akiree Foster was delivering packages nearby when the explosion occurred. “You could hear stuff cracking and there was stuff falling on my window from the debris coming out of the air. It was crazy,” Foster said. A neighbor who lives next door to the home where it began described the moment the blast hit. “All of a sudden I’m on the second floor and all my windows blew out,” she said. “I’m like I just have to get out. So I have nothing. All I have is my phone and myself.” Another neighbor, Chris Hamed, escaped from his adjacent home with three small children. “The fire came up from my toilet, the doors caved in,” he said. Despite the devastation, residents expressed relief rather than anger Thursday night. “The houses are irrelevant as far as I’m concerned,” one resident told FOX 8 News. Who Was Drilling? Uniti Group Inc., which owns Windstream, confirmed that contractors from Windstream’s Kinetic Fiber Internet team were working in the area where the explosion took place. Members of the work crew were questioned by investigators at the scene. “We are cooperating with authorities and working to understand exactly what happened,” Uniti said in a statement. “Our thoughts tonight are with everyone in the Twinsburg Township area who has been impacted.” Dangerous Debris After the Blast The aftermath presented ongoing hazards throughout Thursday evening. Debris from the explosion landed in surrounding trees, including glass, lumber and nails. Every time the trees swayed in the storm conditions present that day, material dropped from the canopy. As of 6:45 p.m. Thursday, the only residents permitted to return to the damaged area were those who needed to retrieve medication or pets. Road Closures State Route 91 north of Middleton Road, on the border of Hudson and Twinsburg Townsh