Mother and son killed when home explodes during birthday party

GRANVILLE, Vt. (WCAX/Gray News) - Authorities say a Vermont mother and her 20-year-old son were killed in a home explosion that happened during a birthday party.

Vermont State Police identified the victims as 46-year-old Sarah O’Sullivan and her son, 20-year-old Liam O’Sullivan. The explosion happened around 7:45 p.m. Saturday in Granville during a birthday party for one of the O’Sullivans.

Troopers say Liam O’Sullivan was pronounced dead at the scene, while his mother was rushed to the hospital, where she later died.

Three other adults were injured in the explosion, including 69-year-old Sheila Hammond. She was critically hurt and remains hospitalized out of state, according to VSP.

Brenda Buker and her husband, who live down the hill from the home, were having dinner with friends when they heard and felt the explosion.

“We heard a loud boom and stopped mid-sentence, didn’t know what had happened,” Buker said. “It was really loud. It shook the house. My husband was in the kitchen, and things fell off the walls. He came out and said, ‘What was that?’”

Buker said she heard fireworks coming from that direction earlier in the night, so when she heard the boom, she was not sure what to think.

“We really thought it was related to the fireworks, had no idea that it had been a house explosion. We didn’t find that out until the morning, unfortunately,” Buker said.

Other neighbors reported property damage, with one saying the impact shattered some windows. Buker’s property did not sustain any damage.

“But it was of an impact that you knew something had – that it was a really serious explosion, and I could smell something in the air as well about five minutes after it happened,” Buker said.

Investigators say the explosion was accidental. They determined it was caused by a propane leak in the home that was likely related to a grill being used at the birthday party.