Police believe father, daughter killed in gas line explosion in Arizona
By Jessica Goodman
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COOLIDGE, Arizona (KTVK, KPHO) — Police believe a father and daughter were killed and a woman suffered serious burns after an explosion and fire at a farm house in the town of Coolidge. The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) says a gas line break possibly caused the blast near the SR 87 and East Randolph Sunday morning.
“It was like an earthquake,” said neighbor Jesus Ieyva.”The whole house shook this morning.”
PCSO says it happened around 5:40 a.m. They said they received numerous calls from residents in the area regarding a possible explosion. PCSO says it was likely a gas line break that caused the explosion and fire.
“I was in bed, asleep,” said Ieyva.”I got up quickly to see what was going on and I saw … lots of flames.”
Coolidge City Manager Rick Miller says a woman who was inside of the home was flown to the hospital with serious burns. She has been identified as Rosalina Alvarez. Police say she was able to escape the burning home through a window, but she still sustained severe burns to 50% of her body. She was take by helicopter to Maricopa Medical Center.
Coolidge police confirmed two bodies were recovered from that same home. Police believe they are Luis Alvarez and his 14-year-old daughter, Valerie. The Pinal County Medical Examiner will confirm their identities.
The Pinal Regional Fire Investigation Task Force is investigating the cause of fire. Until determined otherwise, Coolidge Police Department Investigations Division is treating this incident as a homicide.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) tweeted Monday morning that they will be investigating the “rupture of a 30-inch natural gas transmission pipeline.”
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