Southgate house explosion victims helped by community with GoFundMe

SOUTHGATE, Mich. (FOX 2) - It's been almost two weeks since a home in Southgate exploded, where one woman died.

As the community rallies around the husband, they're also supporting others who were affected by the blast.

Local perspective:

Glenn Higgins is grateful his friends Bob and Kathy Wood survived their neighbor's home explosion two weeks ago.

"When I first heard about the explosion, I wasn’t positive about the addresses. And I’ve been to Bob's house before. I knew it was close, but I didn’t realize that it was that close."

He was worried, though, when he didn't hear from them.

"Just not knowing, not hearing from him at all. You know Bob’s an old marine, and he’s not the kind of guy that’s not going to be at work. So, he hadn't reached out to me because his phone had melted."

When Higgins got a hold of Wood, he breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly learned that the explosion on Edison and Burns was so powerful that it took out the Wood’s home too.

Higgins was heartbroken.

"Just good people. In fact, when I first asked them about taking interviews on their behalf, they first told me ‘no.’ They actually feel guilty that anyone’s giving them any attention. They feel terrible knowing that Amber passed."

Why you should care:

37-year-old Amber Benedict died in the explosion, and her husband Paul was severely injured.

A GoFundMe was set up for the Benedicts.

Higgins got to work creating one for the Woods.

"I’ve had a little bit of experience with catastrophic fire, and there tend to be gaps in your coverage whether you realize it or not. And so, just one last thing for them to have to worry about."

He’s spoken to the Woods a few times since the explosion. He says they’re doing okay, but it’ll be a while before they get back on their feet.

"It’s been really good to see so many people through work, people that we know stepping up trying to chip in, definitely some strangers too. You know, out of a catastrophe, it is kind of heartwarming just to know that people do care, and people are there to try to help out."

What's next:

The investigation remains ongoing. After the explosion, DTE stated that they found nothing faulty in the Benedicts' home.