Second Victim Dies From Injuries In Clinton Home Explosion: UPDATE

CLINTON, CT — The second victim of Thursday morning’s house explosion in Clinton has also died. Candace Hinkley passed away at Bridgeport Hospital on Saturday as a result of injuries sustained in the house explosion, according to Sgt. Jeremiah Dunn. She was 61. Her husband Leo Hinkley, 64, died on Friday from injuries he sustained in the same explosion.

In an update on Friday, Dunn said that “preliminary results of the investigation indicate that the explosion, most likely, did not result from equipment or mechanical malfunctions.”

“The investigators are continuing to work to determine the cause of the explosion,” Dunn said on Friday. “This will take some time, due to the extensive damage and the size and scope of the debris field.”

At about 12:30 a.m. on Sept. 21, Clinton’s Emergency Communications Center began receiving calls reporting a loud explosion and a home being shaken. Within minutes, the call center was “inundated with calls reporting the same thing” from multiple areas of town, according to police. (To sign up for Clinton breaking news alerts and more, click here.)

Then at about 12:34 a.m., dispatchers received a call that said there was a fire at the Evergreen Park Complex on Killingworth Turnpike. Emergency crews responded to the area and found that a mobile home had “been completely destroyed by an explosion,” police said on Thursday.

Both Leo Hinkley and Candace Hinkley were extricated from the burning wreckage and were transported with serious injuries to Bridgeport Hospital via Life Star helicopter. Responders from Old Saybrook, Madison and Killingworth also responded to assist as “the effects of the blast were felt for miles,” police said.

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