NORTHFIELD TWP. (WWJ) – A community vigil is planned Saturday afternoon in Whitmore Lake for the family who was killed in a massive home explosion over the holiday weekend in Northfield Township.
Richard Pruden’s home on Winters Lane -- north of 6 Mile, near US-23 -- exploded shortly before 4 p.m. Saturday, killing his 51-year-old daughter and members of her immediate family. Hope Bragg, her 53-year-old husband Don, and two of their college-age children, Kenny and Elizabeth, were identified as the victims Tuesday.
Pruden, 72, and his 16-year-old grandson Stephen were also injured in the blast. Pruden was listed in critical condition, while the teen was said to be stable, according to authorities.
Bragg and her family had traveled from their home in Arkansas, visiting Pruden for the holidays, at the time of the explosion.
Investigators, including the Michigan State Police and ATF, are still working to determine the cause of the explosion, which was reportedly heard as far as nine miles away.
Northfield Twp. Police Lt. David Powell said Tuesday he’s never seen anything like it.
“I think it’s a five-acre parcel and I would say at least two acres of it is covered in debris. Everything’s just blown into such small pieces that it’s hard to make sense of what everything is,” Powell said.
No timetable has been released as to when a cause of the explosion may be identified, but Powell said any type of foul play has been ruled out.
“We’ve seen rumors on social media that it may be a meth lab. We’ve found no evidence of any type of butane lab, meth lab,” Powell said.
Relatives and friends of the family will hold a vigil at Whitmore Lake High School, Bragg’s alma mater, Saturday at 3 p.m.
A pair of GoFundMe pages have been organized to help cover medical expenses for both the teenager and his grandfather.