Unexplained house explosion in Saginaw, Michigan leaves 6 injured

Heather Jordan
M Live
Tue, 29 Mar 2016 18:40 UTC

Jova Chapman was at work when her Richland Township home exploded Friday, March 25.

Her husband, Billy Chapman, their three sons and two nephews were all there, but they survived the afternoon blast that leveled the house her family had lived in for the past six years.

"My husband said he heard a boom," said the 30-year-old Chapman. "He went to get up and see what it was, and next thing he knew, it felt like he was 30 feet in the air. ... When he came to, he heard all the kids screaming.

"He said it's the worst thing you can imagine."

Neighbor kids ran over and helped locate the boys, Chapman said. The family dog, a golden Labrador named Buddy, is credited with finding one of them, she said.

The Chapmans' 11-year-old nephew was in a medically induced coma as of about 1:45 p.m. Monday, Jova Chapman said. Her husband, 32, suffered multiple broken bones, she said.

Chapman said all three of their sons were in stable condition Monday afternoon. Their 5-year-old son suffered fractures to his pelvis and back and possible broken bones in his face. Their 4-year-old son has a lacerated liver, and their 10-year-old son underwent a second leg surgery Monday. Their 14-year-old nephew also suffered broken bones and was in stable condition, Chapman said. The Chapmans also have two daughters who were not home when the explosion occurred.

It's unclear what caused the explosion Friday afternoon. The Saginaw News on Monday could not immediately reach Richland Township Fire Department Chief Mike Morse for comment.

Multiple GoFundMe pages are raising funds for the Hemlock family. A GoFundMe page titled "Chapman House Explosion" had raised $2,035 as of about 2:30 p.m. Monday. Other GoFundMe pages also have been created for the family, including a page titled "Chapman Family Home Explosion," which has a fundraising goal of $3,000, and a page titled "Chapman family" that has a fundraising goal of $5,000. All three pages had raised nearly $7,000 as of 2:30 p.m. Monday.

A message to donors on one of the pages reads:

"Billy and Jova Chapman have just lost their home. The cause of the explosion is still unknown, but we do know that they have lost everything. Six people were in the house at the time, all of them are in the hospital. Five of these were children ranging from ages 3-13, some of them in critical condition with compound fractures and at least one is on a ventilator. We are unaware of the conditions of the other children at this time.

"Having lost everything, the Chapman family will need all the support they can get. If you wish to donate clothing, furniture, toys, or any other necessities, please contact Jova (mother of Jova Chapman) Moffit at (989) 484-0500.

"Girls clothes for ages 5 and 7 will be needed.
Boys clothes for ages 3, 5, and approximately 9.
Sizes will be posted later as we get more information."

Jova Chapman expressed her gratitude for the community's support. She said they did not have homeowners insurance.

"I want to thank the community for everything they're doing," she said. "I just need everybody to keep praying for (the boys). They're the most important things right now."