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By MARGARET FRIEDENAUER, Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
(published March 5, 2007)
A local woman is recovering in an Anchorage hospital after surviving an explosion Thursday that destroyed her North Pole home.
Gaylene Jones, 35, is in critical but stable condition at an Anchorage hospital, her sister Elaine Swenor said on Sunday.
Jones was home alone at the time of the explosion that occurred around 1:30 p.m. A neighbor found Jones trapped under the roof of her house after the explosion. She was taken to Fairbanks Memorial Hospital on Thursday and medivaced to Anchorage on Thursday night.
Jones has undergone two surgeries, one to relieve a blood clot near the back of her head and another for a ruptured spleen. She also has several burns, ruptured ear drums, broken ribs and a broken collarbone and other injuries, according to Swenor. She is breathing on her own, although a ventilator is being used to help stave off the threat of pneumonia.
The cause of the explosion is still under investigation, but fire officials told reporters Thursday that it was likely caused by a propane tank on the property that had been filled that morning.
Swenor and her two sisters, Karen Watford and Wendy Petrie, gathered Sunday at the where friends have rallied to support the family.
"The Moose is a family," Swenor said. "She is family."
Moose members were arranging for Jones' brother, Wayne Shaw, to travel from Wisconsin to be with the family.
"He was stuck in a snowbank in Iowa when he heard," Watford said. "He felt helpless. But I'm here and I feel helpless."
Each of the sisters will take turns visiting their sister in Anchorage and have divided duties to deal with the aftermath of the accident. Jones' mother, Bonita Shaw, who did not live at the home with her daughter as first reported, was the first to get the call from Alaska State Troopers that Jones was injured. She has remained at Jones' bedside in Fairbanks and now Anchorage as Jones' sisters arranged other details.
Jones' three sons, ages 10, 14 and 17, are being taken care of by relatives, as is the family cat that was found wet but alive on the property. The younger sons were in school at the time of the explosion and have not been to see the aftermath of the explosion.
"And they won't," Watford said, the sister in charge of arranging details surrounding the property and insurance investigations. Watford has been to the site several times she said, picking through the debris, trying to salvage any mementos or belongings she can for her sister and nephews. But she's not finding much. Sitting around a table at the lodge, the sisters and friends gazed at photos of the site, pointing out appliances strewn about the property and Jones' vehicle, it's front end buried under debris.
"Everything is splintered like toothpicks," Watford said. "It's still difficult driving up and seeing it. You look at something like that and think 'How can anyone live through that?'"
The sisters said Jones' 17-year-old son might visit the site of the home when he comes to Fairbanks.
"He wants to climb the tree and get the vacuum down," said Elaine Swenor, referring to the vacuum that was sent flying from the home during the explosion and was last seen hanging from a tree branch.
But for most of the family, especially the two younger boys, the severity of the situation hasn't completely set in.
"I don't think they fully understand yet," Swenor said. "Everything is gone. They only have the cloths they had on when they left for school in the morning."
The Red Cross gave the Jones family debit cards to purchase clothing and necessities. Several local businesses have offered assistance along with the Moose lodge and the sisters said they are getting phones calls offering help of every kind.
"We just want to put out a big thank you to everybody," Swenor said. "It's been overwhelming support."
Swenor is the eldest sibling and traveled to Anchorage to be with her sister and stand in for her at the graduation of Jones' 17-year-old son at his graduation Saturday from the Alaska Military Youth Academy. Swenor said Jones was excited and planning a trip to Anchorage to attend the graduation herself. Instead, her son brought his diploma to Jones' hospital room after graduation to read and show to her. It was a promising sign of recovery, Swenor said, when her son kissed his mother's hand and Jones opened her eyes.
The extent of Jones' injuries, physically and mentally, are still unclear the sisters said, as is what will happen with the home and property. Jones' sisters said she was especially proud of the newer single-story home she brought herself a few years ago, with three bedrooms and two baths. As the youngest of the siblings, she worked evenings as a custodian for the Fairbanks North Borough School District and was raising her sons by herself. Over the summer, Jones and her sons had hauled dirt by the truckload and spread it themselves across the property to prepare a lawn.
"She was so proud of that place," Watford said.
The sisters said they also don't believe she was sleeping at the time of the explosion, as first reported. Watford was on the phone with Jones until the call was somehow disconnected around 1:15 p.m. Petrie said according to her caller ID, Jones tried to call her about 1:26 p.m. The North Star Fire Department responded to a 911 call from neighbors about the explosion shortly after 1:30 p.m.
The sisters said it will take time to determine what Jones wants to do with the property.
"In the long-term, we can't really say what she's going need," Swenor said. "It's too early to speculate her wishes and goals for the place."
In the meantime, insurance officials are expected to visit the property as investigation into the cause continues.
Foremost in the minds of the family and friends gathered Sunday at the lodge was Jones' recovery. The sisters said they expect Jones will remain hospitalized for at least a couple months or more. Each minute she continues to remain stable and improve, they said, is good news.
"The big thing is her getting better," Swenor said. "She's survived these 48 hours."
"Uh, excuses me," Petrie said, good naturally, pointing to her watch. "It'll be 72 hours that she's made it here in a few minutes."
"She's Alaskan," Watford said. "She's tough."
Donations can be made to an account that has been set up in Gaylene Jones' name at Denali Alaskan Federal Credit Union.
Staff writer Margaret Friedenauer may be reached at 459-7545 or mfriedenauer@newsminer.com.
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