LACKAWANNA COUNTY, Pa. — Clothing stuck in the tops of trees, along with charred lumber and shingles, is all that remains of the home on Mount Cobb Road after Tuesday's deadly explosion.
According to the Lackawanna and Lehigh Valley Coroner's offices, 75-year-old Diane Gruss and 91-year-old Leon Gruss both died as a result of the blast.
Debris can be seen scattered across several properties, including a reopened Route 348. According to neighbors, the shake from the explosion could be felt nearly half a mile away.
"We were here watching TV, and we heard a big boom. It shook our house," said Jeanne Eshelman.
Jeanne Eshelman lives just up the road from where the blast took place.
She says the victims lived in the home for decades and would always wave when you drove by, "I just knew him. You know, occasionally we talked. You know, he was a very nice, very nice person. It's so fresh that you're just trying to wrap your brain around it all."
A state police fire marshal says the explosion was caused by a propane leak somewhere within the home.
For Scott Hall and his family, who live just four houses away, the destruction is a wake-up call. "What are some of those safety steps that we can take knowing that our house is built in a similar era, it's not something we really thought about a whole lot, but when it's four houses down from you, it stands out," he said.
While a cause has been determined, investigators are still searching for the source of the propane leak.