Fire marshal probes explosion

Staff file photo / Ed Runyan Bob Thomas and his dog Maverick take a walk past their neighbor’s house on Huxley Road in Ellsworth Township two days after the home exploded, killing all four people inside.
BERLIN CENTER — The Ohio State Fire Marshal’s Office says the investigation into the 7:19 a.m. Oct. 5 explosion that killed four family members at a home on Huxley Road in Ellsworth Township is ongoing, as investigators await “all medical examiner’s reports and for insurance companies to continue their investigations.”
Jarrod Clay, public information officer for the State Fire Marshal’s Fire & Explosion Investigations Bureau, provided the update.
The agency also released a redacted report from the explosion that states that the Ellsworth Fire Department responded to the two-story home at 8521 Huxley Road for a structure fire and explosion. When firefighters arrived, “the structure was scattered in all directions and the one present was the basement and an attached garage that sustained (damage) from the explosion.
“There was burning debris on the north and south side of the structure that was extinguished,” the report states. “The Ellsworth Township Fire Department notified the State Fire Marshal’s Office, requesting assistance in the investigation of the explosion.”
State Fire Marshal’s Office investigator Todd Stitt arrived at the scene about 8:30 a.m., and he was assisted in the investigation by two other fire marshal investigators. Ellsworth Township Assistant Fire Chief Jillian Smith advised the investigators that one of the victims was rescued and transported to St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital, and the three others were dead at the scene.
The Mahoning County Coroner’s Office released the names of the four people who died identifying them as Jeffrey Kocanyar, 69; Joann Kocanyar, 67; Julie Lubic, 33, and Adam Lubic, 33.
Online real estate records and comments from neighbors indicate that Jeffrey and Joann Kocanyar were the owners of the home where the explosion occurred.
Julie Lubic was a daughter of Jeffrey and Joann Kocanyar, and Adam Lubic was Julie Lubic’s husband, according to their obituaries. Autopsies were conducted at the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office, the coroner’s office stated.
Neighbors said a company had been carrying out home improvements on the house, and a large amount of insulation and other products were being stored on the driveway of the home.
The name of an official with the Youngstown-area company is listed in the report, but it does not indicate the reason his name is listed.
A witness who is a Damascus volunteer firefighter is also listed as having been “interviewed” regarding the explosion.
A GoFundMe account was opened to help the Kocanyar family, including Jeffrey and Joann’s son, Jake, and daughter, Jill. It says Julie Lubic was also their daughter, and Adam Lubic was their son-in-law. The fund has raised $13,241 as of Thursday.
Neighbors told The Vindicator they were devastated by the loss of Jeffrey and Joann and stunned by the sudden explosion that brought devastation to the Kocanyars’ home and property, and serious damage to homes nearby.
“The human side is the hardest part, because you see the family pictures and things like that on the ground, and it just rips your heart apart,” said Tracey Beardsley, whose house is directly across the street from the Kocanyar home.