Painesville, OH- Dental records were used to identify a Painesville woman who died after a gas explosion in her house early Tuesday morning.
Neighbors called 911 at about 5 a.m. after the blast caught the house, located on Homewood Drive, on fire.
Painesville police said the Lake County Coroner identified the woman killed in the fire as 62-year-old Arden Smith, a retired Painesville school teacher.
Fire officials said the preliminary investigation shows a natural gas leak triggered a gas explosion. The issue appeared to be isolated to just this house, they said. While Dominion East Ohio Gas is assisting in the investigation, as recently as Friday, a plumbing company was working on a sewer line close to the gas line.
The Division of State Fire Marshal’s office on Wednesday said the investigation into the cause is still ongoing. Investigators are still interviewing witnesses and first responders.
Neighbors told NewsChannel5 that they heard a loud noise come from the house just before 5 a.m., which they initially thought was thunder.
Investigators told NewsChannel5 that the home’s gas line was inspected as recently as May 2010 and no leaks or problems were found.
Part of the home collapsed and heat from the fire melted the vinyl siding on the house next door.