Toledo family picking up the pieces after house next door explodes
The family says they’re staying strong through this difficult time.
--
TOLEDO, Ohio — A Toledo woman and her family don’t know what’s next, after the house next door to theirs exploded last night, at the corner of Western and Eldred.
Linda Carter lived in the house and her daughter, Myra G. Love, is just glad everyone is okay, despite her brother having been injured by shattered glass.
“I thought everybody was dead. Because they called and said ‘Your mom, her house just exploded’ and I immediately just thought of it. Just the thought of it. You’re scared, you don’t know, so you come rushing over here, you see this — nobody was in the house. So I’m looking for them, and then I finally found them,” said Love.
Love says she was relieved to see everyone alive after the explosion.
“When I saw them, I said ‘Glory be to God!”
Love’s mother, Linda, says the explosion rattled her.
“I was in total shock. It blew me out of bed. I was sitting on the bed watching one of my good shows,” said Carter.
Despite her house having been significantly damaged by the blast, Carter was in good spirits, cracking jokes with her kids by her side.
“But you know, the only room that didn’t get tore up was mine. I still got everything nice — so it must have been a punishment on my kids. The devil was picking with them, because I told them to sing a song in church and they won’t do it,” Carter joked.
One of Carter’s sons, Keishande, says that he called the gas company out to the house next door not long before the explosion, and says they downplayed the smell of gas.
“For the gas company to come out here and not do their job, and this is the result, y’all gotta pay for that,” said Carter. “They came out here and they were like ‘we don’t smell anything’ and left. And then the house blew up the next day. That’s crazy.”
He adds that receiving the call about what happened to his mom’s house was just one more piece of bad news he didn’t need, saying this week has been a tough one for him. So what’s next for his mom, Linda, and how will the family get through this?
“I don’t care if I have to go to a home or stay there a little while,” said Linda. “You can replace this stuff, but I couldn’t replace my son or a nice, wonderful person like myself. Couldn’t be replaced.”
Carter is staying with her daughter until she gets back on her feet. The family tells me they are in the process of setting up a GoFundMe and appreciate any support they can get. I’ll be sure to post a link to the fundraiser, once it’s set up.
