SANDWICH — A local man was seriously hurt in an explosion and fire at his Chaucer Street home early yesterday morning, and he was flown to a Boston hospital for treatment.
Joseph Kuzava, 50, has second-degree burns to his face and torso and was placed on a respirator due to the heavy medication administered to him at Brigham and Women's Hospital, according to his family.
"He's got a lot of healing to do, but he's going to survive," said his sister, Cathy, standing outside the charred ruins of her brother's home at 8 Chaucer St. yesterday. "This is just unbelievable. But the most important thing is, he's alive."
Joseph Kuzava was listed in serious condition at Brigham and Women's last night, a hospital spokeswoman said.
He was alone in the house at the time of the explosion.
Sandwich fire Capt. Timothy McMahon said the cause of the explosion and blaze that followed was undetermined. However, he said investigators from the fire department and the state Fire Marshal's Office are looking at a gas water heater installed Wednesday as a possible culprit.
Kuzava told his family Wednesday night that he thought there was an odor of gas following the delivery and installation of the new hot water heater, his sister said.
Firefighters were called to the home at about 4 a.m., shortly after Kuzava had staggered to a neighbor's house and banged on the door calling for help. His family theorizes he escaped the house through a first-floor bedroom window.
Yesterday morning, Kuzava's mother, Charlotte, stood on the lawn, hands pressed against the side of her face in shock. "Awful, just awful. Thank God my son will be OK, but this is sad, just sad. He's worked so hard to make things right here," she said.
Kelly McKend, who lives across the street from the Kuzava home, approached Charlotte Kuzava and put her arms around the older woman. "Charlotte, if there's anything I can do, anything at all, just ask," McKend said.
Neighbors across the street and adjacent to Kuzava's home did not report hearing the explosion that preceded the fire, but residents two streets behind the residence reported hearing a muffled explosion at about the same time the fire was reported.
Firefighters from Sandwich, the Massachusetts Military Reservation, Bourne, Mashpee, Coutit and Centerville-Osterville-Marstons Mills worked together to put out the blaze in about an hour, with fire crews staying on the scene longer to douse hot spots.
Arriving firefighters did not smell gas, but that may have been because the smell of the burning home dominated the area, McMahon said.
"The house was fully involved when we arrived. The victim was in the front yard when we got there," he said.
By 7 a.m., little remained of the wood-frame, two-story house except charred skeletal timbers and the scorched remains of furniture and appliances. Sandwich and state investigators combed through the rubble and consulted with workers from National Grid.
Kuzava, who was staying alone at the house during renovations, would not let one of his sons stay over Wednesday night because "he thought he could smell gas," Charlotte Kuzava said.
Residents stopped by to view the ruins of a house that has been the focus of controversy in the neighborhood.
In recent years, Kuzava has operated businesses out of the house, including appliance and auto repair. Most recently, he ran a tree-cutting business, processing cords of wood for sale, according to town records. Kuzava brought home wood cut from other properties and processed it in his yard.
He has since stopped and had started processing the wood elsewhere, family members said.
The businesses and associated yard clutter have prompted some residents in the area to complain to the town. Not long ago, the fire department safety officer ordered a large wood pile removed from the yard as a potential hazard.
McKend is protective of Joseph Kuzava's reputation.
"Yes, things have been messy in the past. But that's all in the past," she said. "They are the most generous, kind-hearted people. Jay works so hard to take care of and support his family. He'll lend anybody a hand. He plows our whole street in winter for no pay."
"He's been working very hard to clean things up and keep the neighbors happy," Cathy Kuzava said.
Joseph Kuzava's wife and their young son have been staying in Florida and he was scheduled to fly there this week to drive back with them to the Cape in time for their son to return to school Monday, family members said.
"That's on hold now, like a lot of things are going to have to be on hold while my brother gets better," Cathy Kuzava said.
"Knowing that he's going to survive is the most important thing," she said. "All the rest of this is terrible, just awful, but it is something that can be rebuilt."
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