Trenton, GA – An explosion and fire sent four people, three of which were children, to Erlanger Medical Center around 9:45 a.m. last Thursday morning.
The silence on Trinity Road in Trenton was broken when the residence of 26-year-old Lindsay Norcross suddenly exploded and burst into flames.
The home was located in the Piney Community of Trenton and Norcross was inside the residence at the time of the explosion with two of her children
and another child she was babysitting.
Four-year-old Emma Norcross and three-year-old Ewan Norcross were taken with their mother to Erlanger suffering from extensive burns. The family was then transferred to a burn unit in Augusta were Ewan died Saturday night.
Lindsay and Emma are still in serious condition at the burn center.
The fourth victim, Katie McDaniel was transported to Erlanger as well and then to a burn unit in Cincinnati, Ohio, and was released on Monday.
McDaniel was rescued from the burning home by a neighbor, Michael Pangle, who lived across the street from the Norcross residence. Pangle heard the explosion and ran outside to see what had happened.
“I could see a little girl inside,” Pangle said. “The walls had been blown out and the roof had collapsed almost to the floor.I went in and was able to get the girl out.I had to hold the roof up with my back, but we were able to get out the back of the trailer.”
Donations to the Norcross family can be made at Citizen’s Bank in Trenton where an account has been set up for the family.
Wayne Whittaker, a spokesman for Commissioner John Oxendine of the state Fire Marshall’s office, said the explosion is being attributed to a heater that had previously been removed from the residence and the gas line was not capped.
The valve to the propane line was accidentally turned on and the house filled with gas. Something inside the house then set off the explosion.