The Brief
- The woman killed in a house explosion in Portage on Tuesday has been identified by her son as 88-year-old Leona Rice.
- Neighbor Mike Ritter said his wife saw the house “raise up and drop right back down” during the explosion.
- Officials have not said what caused the explosion or whether it was connected to the powerful derecho that swept through the region Tuesday.
CHICAGO – The woman killed when a home exploded in northwest Indiana on Tuesday has been identified by her family.
Portage house explosion victim ID’d
What we know:
The son of 88-year-old Leona Rice confirmed Wednesday that his mother was the person who died in the explosion.
The explosion happened in the 6600 block of Harrison Avenue. Video from the scene showed debris scattered around the area and the home completely destroyed.
Neighbor Mike Ritter described what his wife saw when the house exploded.…