4 recognized for rescuing man after Richland County house explosion
RICHLAND COUNTY, Ohio (WJW) – Four good Samaritans who teamed up to rescue a victim of a devastating house explosion are being honored by the state of Ohio for their courageous actions.
It was on September 13,2024, that the home outside the village of Crestline in Richland County was pulverized by the powerful blast.
'I heard the explosion and then I felt the shock wave go past me,' Justin Thompson, who owns a nearby asphalt company, told FOX 8. 'Right after that, I saw a huge plume. I mean, there was a big mushroom cloud.'0
Thompson and three of his employees ran to the scene and the first person they saw was the dazed homeowner as she stumbled around the debris field with her dog.
She told them that two environmental contractors, 53-year-old Troy Cramer and his 47-year-old wife Krista, were in her basement at the time of the explosion trying to determine the source of a troubling odor.
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Thompson said before they could search for the couple, they had to put out the fire that remained after the explosion.
They shut off a propane tank outside the house and then used Thompson's water truck to start dousing the flames.
'I then got down into the basement and started digging through the debris and I was having them spray water on me while I was digging because it was scalding my face and arms,' Thompson said.
As he was digging, Thompson heard someone crying for help from under the pile of debris.
Firefighters arriving at the scene then joined the search for survivors.
Unfortunately, they discovered that Krista Cramer was killed in the blast.
However, Troy Cramer, who is also a colonel in the Ohio Air National Guard, was miraculously still alive, shielded by some of the falling debris.
'He got burned really bad, but it could have been a lot worse. I think God was looking out for him because everything fell over the top of him in a perfect manner to where he survived,' said Thompson.
For their heroic actions on that day to save Troy Cramer, Thompson and the other good Samaritans — Kevin Jarvis, Ronnie Smith and Ford Amsbaugh — have been honored with the 2025 Citizens' Award from the Ohio Fire Service Hall of Fame.
'If anything would have gone even remotely different, I don't think he'd be here,' said Thompson.
Troy Cramer underwent months of treatment in the burn unit at the Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, but he is now continuing his recovery at home.
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We are told he would like to meet Thompson and the other rescuers to thank them for saving his life.
'I'd love to meet him and, you know, I'd like to say, 'sorry we weren't able to get your wife out too,' but I'm just glad he's alive and well,' said Thompson.
The exact cause of the explosion has not been determined, but one focus of the investigation has been on a possible leak in a line supplying propane to the house.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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