CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. — The family of a man killed in an explosion at his home near Crawfordsville last weekend shared memories of their father Monday.
Retired Major General Richard Chastain, who turned 90 on Friday, and his partner, 91-year-old Marilyn Fox, were killed when the two-story home exploded and caught fire around 8:30 a.m. Saturday.
"It's hard. It's very hard. You can't tell. You can't comprehend. A lot of the house is in the crawlspace now, what's left of it. There's nothing left," said Chastain's children, Cindy and Jeff.
About 300 people were expected for a birthday party for Chastain at the Darlington Community Center Saturday afternoon. That's why his 65-year-old son, David, stayed at the house Friday night.
A second-story bedroom window was blown about 30 yards from the front of the house. David was sleeping in an upstairs bedroom when he ended up in the front yard.
"He thinks he was blown out through the roof. Now we don't know exactly. He doesn't know exactly, either," Chastain's children said. "He woke up basically, came to in the front yard. He has no idea how he got there, kind of was wandering around. He has some burns, has some injuries, but nothing life-threatening."
David is out of the hospital and back home in Bloomington.
Investigators focused on the kitchen of Chastain's house Monday, where the bodies of the two victims were recovered.
Chastain is remembered as a lifelong public servant with four children, six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
"So many facets of my father. He was a farmer, a full-time farmer. He was a soldier. He did 40 years of service in the Army. He was a county councilman for many years here after he retired from the service. He was an elder and a leader in our local church," Cindy and Jeff said.
The family presumes a gas leak caused the explosion, but the investigation is ongoing.