Neighbors picking up the pieces after Glendale house explosion

GLENDALE -- A house explosion Saturday evening, May 26th shook several blocks of a Glendale neighborhood, injuring five people - two of whom remained hospitalized as of Sunday, May 27th.

As investigators continued to sift through what remains of the home that exploded, neighbors and strangers gathered Sunday afternoon to share their shock and support.

The explosion occurred near Port Washington Road and Hampton Avenue in Glendale -- on Iroquois Avenue.

Charles Engler says his cousin, 88-year-old Marvin Engler lived in the home with a very close female friend -- Shigeko Brooks. Both remained in the hospital, but were said to be improving as of Sunday.

Marvin Engler and the woman were pulled to safety by a passer-by and neighbor, who each suffered minor injuries during the rescue.

Scott Keller was one of two people who helped pull the victims out of the home.

"By the time we got him out of there, flames coming across at us. Not sure how we got him out. He was burned fairly badly," Keller said.

The North Shore Fire Department says two police officers were treated for smoke inhalation and a firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion at the scene.

Nancy Pfannerstill says firefighters laid on her lawn after battling the flames Saturday. Sunday, she and other neighbors came together to help clean some of the glass from neighboring homes, where windows were blown out.

"This is our community. This is our neighborhood family, and that's the way we feel - that it's a big family here," Pfannerstill said.

Block Watch Captain Cindy Bentley said it was hard to keep tabs on everyone in the neighborhood Sunday, with so many strangers stopping and staring.

"Our neighbors were all nervous, and we had people from all over - I mean six blocks," Bentley said.

Bentley said it's a close-knit neighborhood, and neighbors will keep watching out for one another.

"I went into my house and lit a candle and said a prayer. Hopefully they both make it," Bentley said.

North Shore Fire Chief Robert Whitaker said there won't be a lot of activity at the scene during the Memorial Day holiday, but on Tuesday, May 29th, the State Fire Marshal and other agencies are expected to be on hand to continue the investigation.

Investigators say water has collected in the home's basement, and they're waiting on that to drain before they go much further with the investigation.

Two other homes in the area suffered extensive damage from the explosion and subsequent fire.

Related stories: