STATE OF VERMONT
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY
VERMONT STATE POLICE
Vermont State Police provides update
on investigation into Granville house explosion
GRANVILLE, Vermont (Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026) — The Department of Public Safety Fire and
Explosion Investigation Unit has classified the explosion in Granville as
accidental. Investigators determined the explosion was caused by a propane leak
within the home on Connecticut Trail, off Post Office Hill Road.
Autopsies for the
two people killed in the explosion were completed Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026, at the
Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington. Both victims died from blast-related
injuries. The state police is able to identify them as Liam O’Sullivan, 20, and
his mother, Sarah O’Sullivan, 46, both of Essex Junction.
The victim who was
critically injured is identified as Shiela Hammond, 69, of Granville. She
remains hospitalized in critical condition and is receiving care out of state.
No further details
are available at this time.
***Initial
news release, 1:45 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026***
The Vermont State Police is investigating after a house
exploded in the Addison County town of Granville, killing two people and injuring
three others.
The explosion was reported at about 7:45 p.m. Saturday,
Sept. 5, 2026. A man was pronounced dead on scene, and a woman was brought by
first responders to Gifford Medical Center in Randolph, where she was pronounced
dead. Three other adults were taken to the hospital, two with minor injuries
and the third with critical injuries.
The names of those involved are being withheld at this time
pending further investigation and notification of relatives.
VSP’s response to this incident involves the Fire and
Explosion Investigation Unit, the Bureau of Criminal Investigations, the Field
Force Division, and the Victim Services Unit. The Division of Fire Safety and
the Granville Volunteer Fire Department were among the agencies that also
responded.
Preliminary investigation by VSP does not indicate the explosion
was suspicious. FEIU members anticipate being on site throughout the day Sunday
as the investigation continues.
No additional details are currently available. The state
police will provide updates as the case proceeds.
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