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Family Identified as Investigations Intensify After Ashland Gas Explosion

Investigators are examining damage to 1940s steel gas lines from nearby grading work to determine responsibility.

Overview

  • Friends and a GoFundMe identified the five people inside the destroyed home as Jorge Duenas Ponce, his adult brother and sister, and two young children.
  • Six people were injured in the blast and fire, with two adults and one child from the home hospitalized with severe injuries, and PG&E says three of the injured were utility workers.
  • PG&E reports a third-party crew struck a gas line before the incident and that crews shut gas flow at 8:18 a.m. and again at 9:25 a.m., roughly 10 minutes before the 9:35 a.m. explosion captured on a neighbor’s doorbell video.
  • Two properties were destroyed, including the home at 877 East Lewelling Boulevard owned by Debra and Ven Otomoy, and neighbors have been displaced as recovery and fundraising efforts continue.
  • The NTSB, CAL/OSHA, PG&E and local agencies have opened probes, residents have named Redgwick Construction as the crew involved, and some neighbors are questioning evacuation decisions and the county road project.