Cat Reappears 10 Days After Home Explosion In Haymarket

HAYMARKET, VA — Ten days after a gas leak blew up a Haymarket home, a missing family cat that was presumed dead was found injured, but alive. A dog was rescued on Oct. 21, six days after the blast.

Friends and family who started a GoFundMe site for the home's residents and pet owners, Maleah Fulbright and Jarrett Struniak, posted Oct. 25 that one of the couple's two cats had been spotted at the home site.

"One of their cats, Luna, has just been found," the site update said. "She is badly injured, but she is being taken to a vet. Once I know more we will let everyone know. Prayers for Luna and Jaxxon!"

The online fundraiser has received $5,500 in donations toward its goal of $20,000.

"They have lost everything they own, including their car," organizers said. "We are so grateful for the support we have received so far — and we thank you deeply for your prayers, thoughts, and well wishes."

Donations will be used to procure a new rental home for the family, GoFundMe organizers said, along with clothes, necessities, and other essentials they need to recover from the explosion that destroyed everything the family of four owned.

Initially, the residents thought the explosion killed two cats and a dog, until rescuers pulled the missing dog from the rubble of the house last week.

Prince William County Fire and Rescue had initially responded to a report of a gas leak around 4:17 p.m. Oct. 15 in the 5900 block of Coby Hunt Court in Haymarket. Around 5:36 p.m., the fire department said the home had exploded, and residents initially thought three pets were killed.
Emergency responders evacuated the home before the explosion, authorities said.

Firefighters returned to the site of the blast Oct. 21 after receiving a report of a dog trapped and barking in the debris. Crews could hear Brandy, the dog, trapped under part of the collapsed structure.

Firefighters freed the pet after shoring up and stabilizing the remains of the house, "and some good old coaxing by the home’s owner. She appeared to be in good shape and showed her happiness of being freed by rapid tail wagging," the department posted on social media.

In an interview with WTOP, homeowner Struniak said he and his family were outside the home for about 20 minutes when their neighbors were also evacuated.

“Once … I heard the bang, everything else just kind of went quiet after that. … It’s crazy how surreal and silent things go when you’re watching everything go up in flames," he told WTOP.

Fire officials said they believe an underground contractor had struck a natural gas line, but it remains unclear what caused the explosion.

The home explosion marked the second in Virginia this year. In February, a firefighter died and 13 others were injured after a leaking propane tank led to an explosion at a home in Sterling.