Community Rallying Behind Vernon Family Displaced by House Explosion

VERNON, CT — Support for the family displaced in a Thursday house explosion on Thursday continues to pour in.

Facebook page,"Clothing Drive for the Kerstetter Family" has been set up to filter donations.

Clothing is being accepted at at The Cornerstone Floundation, 3 Prospect Street, Facebook page moderator and Cornerstone volunteer Jennifer Kirchmeier said Sunday night.

A Go Fund Me account has been set up for monetary donations. It is a different account than the one resident Alicia Rodriguez set up last week that included more than $6,500 in pledges, but family friends and relatives decided to shift it over to another to be promoted on the Facebook page.

Vernon Public School Administrators will collect donations for the affected victims from anyone wishing to donate. Donations so far have included clothing, cash and gift cards. These donations can be dropped off during business hours in the Main office of the schools. Several of the victims were students at the Vernon Public Schools.

Investigators said at a news conference Saturday that the source of the accidental explosion was caused by a propane leak from a gas line supplying a dryer in the home.

The explosion at 4 East St. rocked the tight-knit neighborhood in the Rockville section of town at 4:15 p.m. on Thursday. That section of town features older houses packed close together surrounded by old factory complexes. The explosion blew out the lower section of the house, and the roof collapsed.

Inside the house were a 7-year-old boy, a 15-year-old boy, a 23-year-old man and a 35-year-old woman, police said.

Outside the home were two girls, 11 and 12, and a 60-year-old man, police said.

See the full account of the explosion and rescue efforts here.