Krista Cramer Obituary, Death – On Friday afternoon, a house explosion in Richland County resulted in one fatality and two injuries. The incident occurred in the 4000 block of Hook Road in Springfield Township, close to the state Route 314 intersection. The explosion, which was reported at 1:17 p.m., caused the house to be reduced to a field of debris.
Emergency responders, including firefighters, arrived on the scene to find that Krista Cramer, a 47-year-old resident of Lexington, had died in the blast. Her body was discovered in the basement of the home.
Among the survivors, one man, who was also found in the basement, was airlifted to a medical facility in Columbus. According to Fire Chief Adam Spellman, the man had a chair over his head at the time of the explosion, which likely protected him from both falling debris and flames. Chief Spellman described the man’s survival as a matter of “the grace of God,” given the severity of the incident.
The other survivor, a woman who was outside the house when the explosion occurred, was taken to a hospital in Mansfield. She was outside walking her dog when the blast happened. The woman and her husband owned the house.
Neighbors reported to FOX 8 News that the individuals present at the house during the explosion were contractors who had been called to address a problem the homeowners had been experiencing with their basement. Recently, the homeowners had complained about an unpleasant smell coming from the basement, which might have been related to the explosion.
Investigators from both the Richland County Sheriff’s Office and the State Fire Marshal’s Office were on-site Friday afternoon, sifting through the debris to determine the cause of the explosion. The investigation aims to uncover the factors that led to this tragic event and to prevent similar incidents in the future.