WOLFE COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — A third person has died following the house explosion that happened in Wolfe County on Saturday.
According to the Fayette County Coroner's Office, Albert Vanderpool, 80, died on Monday night at the University of Kentucky Hospital. Vanderpool's official cause of death is hypoxic respiratory failure, which was caused by smoke inhalation. His death was also ruled as an accident.
He was the third member of the same family to die. His son and daughter-in-law were killed in the blast Saturday.
The family's pastor Charles Glover said 52-year-old Phillip Vanderpool and 48-year-old Sueann Vanderpool died doing what they always did. "They were helpers, they were always going out of their way to help people that's what they were doing at the house that day."
Friends said the couple went to the home to check on a gas smell in the basement. Emergency management officials confirm someone reported a gas odor twice Saturday. They told LEX 18 the gas company came out and checked it, then left.
At 3:30pm Saturday the home blew up, killing Phillip and Sueann Vanderpool. The cause of the blast is still under investigation.
While funeral arrangements are pending for all three, Red River Community Church in Hazel Green is accepting donations for the family.
Today a friend dropped off $500 in donations at the church. Lena Conley said, "I just couldn't sleep. It bared on my mind, so I had to do something."
