Couple identified as the 2 victims in Missouri home explosion. Gas leak confirmed
The couple killed when their home near Excelsior Springs was destroyed in an explosion have been identified, a spokeswoman for the Clay County Sheriff’s Office said Monday.
The bodies of 70-year-old Oliver W. Campbell and 65-year-old Katherine A. Campbell were found mid-day Friday among the rubble of their home in the 14400 block of Kimberly Drive in rural Clay County, said Sarah Boyd with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office. The couple’s deceased dog was also found at the scene of the blast.
The Missouri State Fire Marshal’s Office, which is investigating the explosion, also confirmed Monday that there was a gas leak.
“Because of the force of the explosion and extent of structure damage, no cause could be identified as to the source of the gas leak or the ignition source,” the fire marshal’s office said in a statement released by Boyd. “The Missouri Division of Fire Safety classified the explosion as undetermined.”
The full incident report will take up to 30 days to be available.
The explosion occurred around 4:40 a.m. Friday. Callers called the sheriff’s office, reporting that their neighbor’s home exploded. The blast was felt for miles around.
Arriving deputies reported that the home was leveled entirely from the blast, and the house was on fire. Boyd said that the explosion also damaged nearby homes and blew open some doors, but no neighbors were hurt.
Because homes in the neighborhood use propane for heating and cooking, investigators looked into whether a gas leak led to the explosion. Officials with the Missouri Propane Safety Commission responded to help investigate the explosion.
