Ohio couple copes after explosion destroys home


GLOUSTER, Ohio (AP) -- A southern Ohio couple whose home was one of three destroyed in a gas line explosion last month say they are ready to move on with their lives despite losing almost everything they owned.

No one was killed or seriously injured in the natural gas explosion on Nov. 16 near Glouster in Morgan County. And Kathy and John Sayers told the Zanesville Times Recorder (http://ohne.ws/t6Jbr9 ) that the vivid images of that day remain fresh in their minds.

John Sayers said he didn't notice anything unusual when he left the house shortly before 8 a.m. to meet friends. About 30 minutes later, his former daughter-in-law called to say there had been an explosion and to ask if his wife was OK. He tried unsuccessfully to reach his wife by phone and was about four miles away when he saw the orange glow and flames above the house and heard "roar like you couldn't believe."

His wife was cleaning the house when the pipeline exploded. Kathy Sayers, 59, said she thought the world was ending after the house began shaking and she heard a noise that sounded like a jet plane. She saw melted vinyl siding dripping down the window and took off with her purse, cellphone, jewelry box and a few pictures.

"I was lucky to walk away from that one, and so was the girl next door," she said.

The Sayers's four cats are still missing.

Authorities have not determined the cause of the blast, but said the houses were destroyed by fires from radiant heat and not by the explosion.

"There was a higher power there that day," John Sayers said, and his wife agreed.

"I could feel someone with me, she said. "That's why I didn't panic."

Kathy Sayers said she felt like she was going to get out safely.

The land their house was on had been in John Sayers' family for 50 years. John, 61, remembers watching as a teenager as the pipeline was constructed.

The Sayers have been living at the home of one of their sons, and are overwhelmed by the community's support -- including donations of clothes and money.

The Houston-based Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co., which owned the gas line, already has provided some cash and gift cards to cover necessities.

The Sayers said they probably will build another house, but haven't decided if it will be at the same location.

But they both agree that it is time to move on.

"It ain't the end of the world," John Sayers said.


Information from: Times Recorder, http://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com

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