Arkansas family identified as victims in explosion near Whitmore Lake

NORTHFIELD TWP. — A holiday weekend explosion killed four members of an Arkansas family visiting a grandfather near Whitmore Lake.

Northfield Township Police and Fire were dispatched around 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 30, to a home in the 8200 block of Winters Lane. Upon arrival, they found a single-family home leveled by an explosion, leaving a debris field that covered roughly two acres of property. Only the basement remained. 

More: Death toll rises to 4 in devastating Northfield Twp. house explosion

Responders learned there were six occupants in the home at the time of the explosion, and police began a search while firefighters worked to extinguish the flames. By the following afternoon, four were confirmed dead and two were hospitalized.

Green Oak Township Police and Fire, Hamburg Township Fire, Ann Arbor Township Fire, Salem Township Fire, Huron Valley Ambulance, Washtenaw County Emergency Management, the Washtenaw County Road Commission, the Michigan State Police, the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office and HART Huron Valley assisted in the response.

An investigation into the cause of the explosion is expected to last several days. While police have yet to identify the victims officially, longtime family friend Michelle Bennett told The Detroit News the deceased are Hope Bragg, 51; her husband Don Bragg, 53; and their adult children, Kenny and Elizabeth Bragg. That information was confirmed in a social media post from a cousin in Nevada.

According to Bennett, a third adult child, Stephen Bragg, is expected to survive, along with Hope’s father, Rich Pruden, 72. The family was visiting Pruden at his Northfield Township home for the holidays.

A message left Tuesday with first responders regarding any potential updates to the investigation was not immediately answered.

“It’s a shock — everyone’s walking around in a daze right now,” Bennett told The News. “It’s just miraculous that Rick and Stephen survived. It looks like they’re both going to make a full physical recovery, but mentally, I have no idea what this is going to do to them.” 

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Rev. Steve Hoffer, pastor of St. Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church in Las Vegas, requested prayers for the family in a Facebook post the night of the explosion. Hoffer said Hope is his cousin and Pruden is his uncle. 

“Please pray for the Bragg and Pruden family,” Hoffer wrote. “Also pray for your families. If you have not spoken to a family member in a while, do so today because you never know what will happen tomorrow.” 

— Contact reporter Evan Sasiela at esasiela@livingstondaily.com. Follow him on Twitter @SalsaEvan.