House explodes on west side of Barberton

PHOTOS BY CHRISTINA McCUNE | BGNN

The aftermath of the house explosion on Belleview Avenue in Barberton.

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY ELDONNA KOVAL

Clayton Hartley was a builder and he built the house at 1076 Belleview Ave. as a rental. Eldonna Koval has many memories from the home that her Dad built. Family members — along with herself –lived in it through the years and she remembers her parents celebrating an anniversary there.

By CHRISTINA McCUNE and BOB MOREHEAD

BGNN senior staff

BARBERTON  Eldonna Koval had to see the scene with her own eyes March 5.

The day after a house exploded and caught fire leaving insulation in trees and wood and materials in the yard, on a neighbor’s car and in the road, Koval peered in dismay at the site from Belleview and 22nd Street NW safely behind the yellow and red tape keeping people away as crews cleaned up. Koval’s father, Clayton Hartley, had built the house in 1957 as a rental unit. In between renters over the years, many family members also lived in the house.

The family sold the house about 10 years ago after Hartley passed away. The address of 1076 could still be seen on a mailbox attached to some of the brick that had fallen in. The house next door had been damaged by fire earlier.

“It’s devastating to me,” Koval said, fighting to keep composure. “It’s just a lot of memories there.”

Koval and siblings Cheryl and Judith lived at the house at one point. Koval remembered celebrating birthdays and Christmas and she lived there for a time with her young daughters. She remembered her parents celebrating their 25th anniversary there.

She clearly remembered the layout of the house and remarked how her father was an excellent builder and it was a sturdy structure.

Officials are trying to sort out why the house blew up early the evening of March 4. The Barberton fire department got the call at 6:36 p.m. and the first units arriving found what was left on fire, with debris littering the street.

“When we got the fire beat down we sent our drone in to look for signs of people,” Barberton Fire Chief Stephen Ionno told reporters at the scene. Ionno said no one was injured and the house was vacant at the time. He added that it had, in fact, just been sold.

“The owner said the appliances had been removed and the lines capped,” Ionno said. “The water heater and furnace were still connected. Enbridge is here to look for gas leaks or signs of a spike.”

Also working the investigation with BFD are the Barberton Police Detective Bureau, the state fire marshal’s office and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Ionno said two nearby cameras, including a neighbor’s Ring camera, captured video.

Scanner traffic revealed one video caught sight of a naked man wearing a cowboy hat running away from the area of the explosion; officers were looking for him.

Fire departments helping Barberton on this call were Norton, New Franklin, Copley and Coventry.