An explosion leveled a house in York County Thursday morning within seconds, leaving nothing but the basement of a family of five’s home in Lower Windsor Township. Eyewitnesses described it as a ball of fire lighting up the sky. The home in the 100 block of Cavalry Church Road belonged to the Gish family. Carol Lentz has lived across from them for 16 years. Thursday morning started off like any other, until around 5AM. “I was backing out of my driveway to take my son to work and we heard this big bang” said Lentz.
That bang was the sound of the Gish family’s home exploding. “It shook the house and sounded like a cannon going off” said Lentz. Thankfully Jonathan Gish was on a fishing trip in Maryland when it happened. His wife Karen and their 3 children were camping together north of Harrisburg when it happened, which turned out to be a blessing. “The house is completely destroyed. There is a hole in the ground where the house used to be and that is the basement” said Lower Windsor Township Police Chief Tim Caldwell.
There were no injuries aside from a firefighter being taken to the hospital for heat exhaustion. The Fire Marshall was also on scene investigating along with the help of ATF officials. They don’t know why the house exploded, but said propane may have been involved. Now the focus in on the Gish’s. “They just know that they have family and friends behind their back supporting them through everything” said family friend Justin Lusk. An insurance agent for the Gish family was also on scene and said that they are fully covered.