We now know the names and ages of those killed in a house explosion that nearly wiped out a whole family on Winters Lane. Sadly the youngest deceased are only 19 and 22.
“The three Bragg children, Don and Hope Bragg were in from Arkansas visiting Hope’s father, Richard when this tragedy occurred,” said Lt. David Powell.
The homeowner, 72-year-old Richard Pruden and his grandson, 16-year-old Stephen Bragg visiting from Arkansas - are the only two survivors. Don and Hope Bragg, 51 and 53 along with their 19-year-old daughter, Elizabeth and 22-year-old son, Kenneth all passed away.
“It’s horrible. You know, they’re from out of state and the next of kin are from a different state and they’re trying to take care of the ones that are still with us and recovering in the hospital and in their other distant relatives. You know, with stress and other health problems. It’s awful,” Lt. Powell added.
The cause of the explosion however still remains a mystery.
“We have an undetermined fuel-air explosion because they caused this explosion. We do not suspect any foul play at this time. We have to do testing to find out what the fuel sources were to the residence whether it’s propane, natural gas, something of that sort,” Lt. Powell explained.
Whatever caused the explosion was enough to destroy everything above the basement, with vibrations that could be felt for miles - leaving debris spread across two acres of land.
“There’s nothing left for the property and I’ve never seen anything like it. Everything’s just blown into such small pieces that it’s hard to make sense of what everything is,” Lt. Powell concluded.
A vigil will be held Jan. 6 at Whitmore Lake High School.
Those willing to help the family during this unfortunate time can donate to GoFundMe pages set up to assist with Richard Pruden’s medical expenses and Stephen Bragg’s recovery.