Airman rescues sister-in-law during home explosion Published Jan. 11, 2005 By Airman 1st Class Angelique Smythe 22nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. (AFPN) -- An Airman and his wife were getting ready to leave their mobile home in nearby Wichita, to spend the afternoon shopping when, in an instant, a big explosion changed their plans.A neighboring mobile home 25 feet away from their own had exploded and both sides collapsed.Staff Sgt. Scott Seagraves, a 184th Air Refueling Wing patrolman, said his first thought was that there was someone inside the house. That someone happened to be his sister-in-law, Karrie Wood, who was trapped inside the burning wreckage. Another person, the landlady, also was in the mobile home when it exploded. She was not trapped and managed to crawl out, although she appeared to be dazed, Sergeant Seagraves said. Mrs. Wood said the landlord was supposed to be thawing her water pipes, which were frozen, and lighting her pilot lights. Sergeant Seagraves said the landlady may have been working on the propane tank. Next, Sergeant Seagraves ran into the house to locate his sister-in-law. He dug her out from the debris and moved her away from the house.“I was sleeping on my couch,” she said. “I didn’t know what was going on. All I remember is Scott yelling for me and me telling him I was burned.”He rescued her just moments before the trailer burst into flames.“If we had left (to go shopping), there’s no telling what would have happened,” Sergeant Seagraves said. Even the windows on the side of Sergeant Seagraves’ mobile home were blown out and the aluminum melted.Eight children were inside Sergeant Seagraves’ home when the explosion occurred. They were immediately escorted down the street to a neighbor’s home. Within moments, the fire department and paramedics arrived to put out the fire, and Mrs. Wood was taken to the hospital.“I had first and second degree burns to my left hand and left side of my face,” Mrs. Wood said.She spent six hours being treated and checked for smoke inhalation problems.“My husband, who’s a truck driver, was in Arizona waiting for a load,” she said.The mobile home was completely destroyed.“We lost everything,” Mrs. Wood said. “Our car was melted -- we had it less than a month; clothes, furniture, pictures -- (everything was lost). You name it; we lost it.”Even her eight pets were affected by this disaster. Out of her six cats, five remain frightened and still hide under the trailer. One cat remains severely injured.“With his claws burned off and his ears and paws burned, I’m not sure when he’ll be out from the veterinarian,” Mrs. Wood said. “If Scott hadn’t found him, I don’t think he would have made it,” she said.Her two dogs were burned on their eyes and mouths, but they have been released from the veterinarian. “If it wasn’t for (Scott), I don’t think I’d be alive,” Mrs. Wood said. “I thank him every day.”The exact cause of the explosion is still under investigation, but officials said they believe it may have been related to the propane line.