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DORRANCE TWP. — A husband and wife were killed and their son injured when their house exploded early Friday morning.
By Friday evening, the two victims had been identified as Ester Hedgepeth, 66, and Eugene Hedgepeth, 77.
Their son, Nathan Hedgepeth, 20, was found lying on the ground outside the home at 2165 Alberdeen Rd. He was transported to an area hospital and is expected to survive his injuries, officials at the scene said.
The body of Ester Hedgepeth was removed by the Luzerne County Coroner’s Office before 7 a.m. from what remained of the home.
An excavator was brought in to remove charred debris in search efforts to recover Eugene Hedgepeth’s body from the rubble, which was found at about 1 p.m.
Prior to being taken to a hospital, Nathan Hedgepeth told firefighters his parents and a pet cat were inside the house.
Coroner Dan Hughes said autopsies are pending an investigation by the state police deputy fire marshal in Hazleton.
Officials said two explosions occurred at the house, the first around 1:40 a.m. In a release Friday evening, investigators said it was still not apparent what the cause of the explosion was.
About 20 minutes after the first blast was reported, a second explosion occurred at 1:57 a.m. shortly after firefighters arrived at the scene leveling what remained of the house and sending a fireball into the sky.
No injuries were reported to firefighters.
Firefighters encountered heavy fire when they arrived. Tanker trucks were used to transport water from a nearby pond.
Pieces of plywood, shattered wooden studs and insulation littered the area including the yard of a neighbor whose house about 80 yards away from the site had its window screens blown out.
Firefighters were hampered by old vehicles, propane tanks and other items on the property.
Absorbent pads were placed in a nearby stream to collect runoff from the scene as firefighters extinguished hot spots hours after the explosion.
The pile of rubble continued to smolder as the excavator removed charred debris.
Alberdeen Road was closed for several hours but reopened to one lane by daybreak.