A family birthday party ended in unimaginable tragedy when a Vermont home suddenly exploded, killing a mother and her 20-year-old son and leaving three other people injured.
Sarah O’Sullivan, 46, and her son, Liam O’Sullivan, 20, both of Essex Junction, were killed in the Sept. 5 blast at a home in Granville.
The explosion happened at around 7:45 p.m. at a property on Connecticut Trail, off Post Office Hill Road, while family members were gathered for a birthday celebration.
What had been a festive evening turned into chaos in seconds.
Liam was pronounced dead at the scene. His mother was rushed to Gifford Medical Center in Randolph, but doctors were unable to save her.
Autopsies later determined that both died from injuries caused by the explosion.
Three other adults were also hurt in the blast.
Two suffered minor injuries, while 69-year-old Shiela Hammond of Granville was critically injured and taken for treatment outside Vermont. Authorities said she remained hospitalized in critical condition following the explosion.
The blast was so powerful that people living nearby said they felt their homes shake.
Neighbor Brenda Buker said she and her husband were sitting down for dinner with friends when they heard an enormous boom.
“It was really loud. It shook the house,” she told WCAX.
The force was strong enough to knock items from walls in nearby homes, while other residents reported shattered windows.
Buker said the group had heard fireworks coming from the direction of the property earlier that evening and initially thought the loud explosion had something to do with them.
They did not realize until the following morning that a home had been destroyed.
Buker also recalled noticing a strange smell in the air several minutes after the blast.
Investigators later determined that the explosion was accidental and caused by a propane leak inside the home.
Officials believe the leak may have been connected to a grill being used during the birthday gathering.
Authorities said there was no evidence suggesting the explosion was suspicious.
The Vermont State Police Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit responded alongside members of the Bureau of Criminal Investigations, Field Force Division and Victim Services Unit.
The Vermont Division of Fire Safety and the Granville Volunteer Fire Department were also involved in the response.
The deadly blast left the home devastated and a family grieving two loved ones after what was supposed to be a happy birthday celebration turned into a horrific tragedy.
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