Latest news with #JoenePease
Daily Mail
14-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Horrific footage shows aftermath of 'catastrophic' explosion that leveled home with two inside
A New York home was reduced to rubble by a massive explosion that killed an elderly woman and critically injured her husband. Chilling footage reveals the harrowing extent of the destruction. The Hamburg house blew up on Monday at around 8:45pm - shaking homes that were miles away. Terrified neighbors dialed 911 and police rushed to the scene, finding the home almost completely decimated and up in flames. 'I would describe it as a catastrophic explosion,' Hamburg police captain John Baker told WGRZ-TV. Video from just after the jaw-dropping incident shows unrelenting flames swallowing the home. Debris was scattered all over the ground as more than 20 agencies tried to tame the fire and rescue anyone inside as thick smoke filled the air. Firemen first discovered John Pease, 78, severely injured and rushed him to the emergency room. They later uncovered his 78-year-old wife, Joene Pease, dead among the hellish wreckage, according to a statement from the Hamburg Police Department. 'The gas company is there, the electric company is there, it is basically a house that is no longer there,' Baker said Monday night as authorities tried to get the situation under control. 'So it's a dangerous situation, a lot to comb through and deal with.' A dog was safely recovered from the home and two Hamburg police officers had to be taken to the hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation and an ankle injury. The cause of the explosion is under investigation. 'The investigators are leaving no stone unturned,' Sean Crotty, emergency manager of the Town of Hamburg, told the Democrat & Chronicle. 'We know that the house exploded and they are attempting to determine what the source and the cause and origin of that explosion was.' On Tuesday, drone video showed what was left of the home littered on the ground with the part of the home next door charred. The neighboring house had no one home during the fiery boom. But the damage was severe and it had to be demolished. Shell-shocked residents are still grappling with the calamity that rocked their quiet neighborhood. 'I could hear screaming from my house the whole way down,' Joe Schaus, who lives in the area, told WKBW. 'I was just trying to help, wasn't much to help. The house is gone.' 'I'm watching TV and all of a sudden it was a huge boom,' Lake View resident Chris Polito told WIVB. 'It was instant, it didn't last long or anything.' 'It's awful, you hear that and it's hard to believe that right up the [street] in this neighborhood I walk all the time, that one of those houses is gone,' he added. 'You can see there's a lot of damage,' Alie Lavontuie said. 'My heart goes out to the families and everybody who knew them.' Those who knew the couple described the Peases as quiet and kind people who kept to themselves. 'The people who lived in the house most impacted are a kind couple and very good, considerate neighbors,' someone who knew the couple, who opted for anonymity, told WKBW. They were active members of the Lake View Community Church, WKBW reported. Joene had even served on its board of trustees for some time.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Yahoo
Neighbors react to Hamburg house explosion
HAMBURG, N.Y. (WIVB) — Residents of West Lane in Hamburg are still in shock after a house on their street exploded on Monday night, killing one person and injuring another, who is now in critical condition. According to Hamburg police, 78-year-old Joene Pease died in the house explosion and 78-year-old John Pease was taken to ECMC. There were no other injuries reported. Police received calls about the explosion just before 9 p.m. One person said the explosion practically shook their house. 'I'm watching TV and all of a sudden it was a huge boom,' said Chris Polito, who lives on East Lane. 'It was instant, it didn't last long or anything.' Kathy Bradley, who lives a few houses down from the explosion, was also watching TV when the explosion occurred. 'We were watching TV and all of a sudden you hear this boom and it was loud — came out the front door and looked down the street and saw the house in the middle of the street,' she said. 'Went back in and called 911 told them a house exploded.' 'The house is gone,' Polito said. 'It's awful, you hear that and it's hard to believe that right up the [street] in this neighborhood I walk all the time, that one of those houses is gone.' People who heard the house explode have been stopping by the street all day on Tuesday to see the extent of the damage for themselves, while questioning how it happened. 'I don't know how they got anyone out there in the first place because there was nothing left of the house,' said Roger Britton, who lives on East Lane. Bradley said the Peases were quiet and 'stuck to themselves.' She recalled seeing them in the yard once in awhile. 'You can see there's a lot of damage,' said Alie Lavontuie, who lives on East Lane. 'My heart goes out to the families and everybody who knew them.' The explosion remains under investigation and officials have not yet released a cause. Sarah Minkewicz is an Emmy-nominated reporter and Buffalo native who has been a part of the News 4 team since 2019. Follow Sarah on Twitter @SarahMinkewicz and click here to see more of her work. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
