Shreveport, LA – A 92-year-old DeSoto Parish woman who received extensive burns on Sept. 18 when her home exploded from a natural gas leak has died.
Dwena Henry had been in the intensive care unit at University Health in Shreveport since the explosion. She died Monday afternoon.
Also injured in the explosion were Henry’s daughter, Sharon Fletcher, and a family friend, William Roe.
The state fire marshal’s office confirmed that natural gas leaking from the flex tube behind the stove in Henry’s kitchen is to blame for the explosion. The fire ignited when Roe used a barbecue lighter in an attempt to re-light the stove, Chief Deputy Brant Thompson, spokesman for the fire marshal’s office, told KTBS last month.
Roe and Fletcher had been searching for the source of the smell of natural gas after the stove’s electronic components had been checked. Both had seconds to make a run for the door just before the flame ignited the gas vapors, Thompson said.
The force of the explosion blew Roe and Fletcher into the yard. Henry was in another room.
All of the home’s windows were blown out, but Roe kicked in a door and found Henry on the floor of a room engulfed in flames. He pulled her out, and he and Fletcher snuffed out the flames, causing burn injuries to themselves.
Henry was a beloved member of the community, serving in numerous volunteer capacities with community organizations and her church. She also held political office. She was one of three on the Board of Aldermen, while her daughter serves as mayor.
Stanley High School students, their parents and droves of community well-wishers joined in honoring Henry in February when she finally decided to retire from her volunteer position as scorekeeper for sporting events at the school. It was something she had done for 55 years.