FOLLANSBEE, W.Va. — A 13-year old Brooke County girl is dead, three of her family members are injured and investigators were working to determine the source of the natural gas that caused the explosion that leveled their home near Follansbee on Friday morning.
Multiple sources identified the teenager who was killed as Hannah Mozingo who was a student at Follansbee Middle School.
Her father, George, was being treated for burn injuries Friday night at UPMC Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh. Her mother, Tracy, and sister were recovering at Trinity Hospital in Steubenville, Ohio.
Her brother was reportedly not home at the time of the blast.
Their house exploded in the Hooverson Heights neighborhood at about 7 a.m. Friday.
Shortly before the explosion, members of the Hooverson Heights Volunteer Fire Department were called out to investigate a report of a natural gas smell in the area. Emergency officials said the 911 call about the smell did not come from the Mozingo home.
Investigators with the State Fire Marshal’s Office were at the blast site throughout the day Friday. There were indications the blast may have originated in the basement of the home that, neighbors said, the Mozingos moved into just a few months ago.
As many as ten other homes sustained what state officials called “substantial” damage.
Donations for the Mozingo family can be sent to C.J. Grishkevich, a family friend, at 2411 Eldersville Road, Follansbee, WV 26037.