Woman, 85, escapes home explosion

HENRY COUNTY, Ga. — An 85-year-old Henry County woman escaped a home explosion Saturday afternoon.

Jewel Miller has lived in her home on Boulevard Drive for more than 30 years. Around 3 p.m. Saturday, she said, her Chihuahua, Susie, alerted her to flames.

“I was sitting on my bed working my puzzle book and my little dog got to barking,” Miller said.

Outside, flames swallowed the home’s entrance and a van that was parked near Miller’s front door.

Without taking time to get her walker, Miller managed to get out of her back door as firefighters arrived, and her longtime friend drove by the house.

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“When I saw those flames, I didn’t see any way that she could possibly be alive,” Bobby Dennis said. “When I got here, the explosion had just went off. Flames (were) 30 feet in the air.”

Dennis, who has been checking on Miller for years, said firefighters kept him behind the crime scene tape, and asked him whether Miller owned a van.

“They kept questioning me if she had a car,” said Dennis. “I said, ‘No, no, no.’”

Loved ones said authorities later told them the burned van had been part of a string of recent armed robberies.

Information on the suspects and investigation was not immediately available, but police told Channel 2 Action News that details would be available later in the week.

“I want ‘em punished,” Miller said.

Miller was released from the hospital early Sunday morning. Her dog didn’t make it. She was found dead in a bathtub.

Miller’s adult children came to check her into a motel while they raise money to provide her with a permanent living situation.

“I just need me a place to live,” Miller said.

If you'd like to donate, CLICK HERE for the Miller's GoFundMe page.

Cox Media Group