LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Angela Young's son, AJ, says she will be in the hospital for weeks and possibly months. He says she is currently sedated because of how severe and painful the second and third-degree burns are that are covering her body.
His younger sister, Johanna Young left Norton to go back to Grayson county today, where the community is still feeling the shock of the devastation.
From end to end, wall to wall, it's all gone. There's only remnants of the foundation left. Hours after the blast, the house was still on fire.
The explosion was felt by Samantha McStoots, who lives down the street. A young daughter and her mother were trying to escape the fire from the explosion, that everyone felt.
"Next thing we know we hear a boom and our whole house shook," McStoots said. 7-year-old Johanna Young is now back with her family, but Angela Young, her mother, is still badly hurt.
"She's burnt from the top of her head all the way to the bottom of her feet," said Brinnis Hudson, Angela Young's father.
That's how Hudson described seeing his daughter for the first time, after her house exploded from a gas leak.
"Number one they are both alive, that's the main thing. The house can be replaced," Hudson said.
Angela Young was inside with her daughter, Johanna. The state fire marshal's office says their propane tank was filled earlier in the day and believes a mechanical failure triggered the blast.
RELATED: Propane or Natural Gas: Here's how to tell if you have a gas leak and what to do next if you do
Now the family tells us that Angela shielded Johanna from the first blast, and the two had to break a window and climb out before the home collapsed into pieces.
In this tight knit community, the news was life changing for people like Gail Riggs. She says she is best friends with Angela.
"I was frightened. Tore up. Scared to death. She's my best friend. We got down on her knees and started praying for them," Riggs said.
Angela's son AJ is asking for get well cards to be sent to Grayson County High School for his mother when she wakes up. If you wish to send a card, th address is 340 Schoolhouse Rd. Leitchfield, Ky. 42754.
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