{"id":210183,"date":"2026-03-08T09:08:11","date_gmt":"2026-03-08T09:08:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/210183\/"},"modified":"2026-03-08T09:08:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-08T09:08:11","slug":"oakland-blast-survivor-talks-about-miracle-of-being-aliveoakland-home-explosion-victim-talks-about-his-recovery-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/210183\/","title":{"rendered":"Oakland blast survivor talks about \u2018miracle\u2019 of being alive\u200b\u200bOakland home explosion victim talks about his recovery"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\tCliff Hannon smiles while talking about his progress Thursday in Waterville. Hannon suffered serious injuries after his Oakland home exploded more than three months ago. (Anna Chadwick\/Staff Photographer)<\/p>\n

WATERVILLE \u2014 Cliff Hannon remembers taking his dog, Millie, to the local country club for a run on Thanksgiving Day and putting her in the back seat of the car to return home.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t remember anything after that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

And he wouldn\u2019t learn about what occurred until 7 1\/2 weeks later, when he woke up in a Portland hospital.<\/p>\n

Sometime after bringing his dog back to his Lakeview Drive home in Oakland, it exploded from a propane <\/a>leak. The entire house was shattered, scattering debris around the neighborhood. <\/p>\n

Hannon was in the back yard with Millie, an English shepherd. Oakland Rescue workers found him under debris from the house, critically injured and unconscious. Millie had run away.<\/p>\n

Hannon\u2019s body had been impaled in two places from debris, he said, and his left buttocks had a hole in it the size of a human fist.<\/p>\n

He suffered first-, second- and third-degree burns over 50% of his body, his left leg below the knee and arm were broken and he lost hearing in his left ear, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey put a post through my arm into my shoulder because they had to take care of that immediately,\u201d he said. \u201cThe impact hit that whole left side of my body. I was on dialysis for five weeks. My kidneys failed, my liver failed and they had to get them back going because my body was shutting down.\u201d<\/p>\n

Because he was facing away from the blast, his face was not injured.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Debris surrounds two vehicles and police tape is tied to a mailbox Dec. 1, 2025, following a Thanksgiving Day home explosion at 36 Lakeview Drive in Oakland. (Anna Chadwick\/Staff Photographer)<\/p>\n

\u201cThey said they rushed me to Thayer ER in Waterville and prepared me for LifeFlight, and LifeFlight took me to Portland (MaineHealth Maine Medical Center). All these emergency services \u2014 if they hadn\u2019t done what they needed to do, I wouldn\u2019t be here.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Office of State Fire Marshal determined a propane leak caused the explosion, but as of Friday, an exact source <\/a>had not been identified.<\/p>\n

Hannon said officials suspect it was from an old gas heater in his basement.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey said they\u2019ll never know for sure,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

A positive thing emerged from the horrific event. Millie, Hannon\u2019s dog, had been burned and injured in the explosion and is doing well, and Hannon hopes to see her briefly outside on a warm day expected next week.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Debris litters the yard Dec. 1, 2025, at 36 Lakeview Drive in Oakland four days after the house exploded on Thanksgiving Day. The house next door is shuttered because of damage sustained from the explosion. (Anna Chadwick\/Staff Photographer)<\/p>\n

\u201cSome good Samaritans saw her wandering on Route 11. The dog was obviously in shock. They picked her up and took her to the animal hospital in Lewiston \u2014 people we don\u2019t know. Then she was taken to Portland.\u201d<\/p>\n

A LONG RECOVERY<\/p>\n

Hannon told his story Thursday from his room at Lakewood Health Center where he has been for 2 1\/2 weeks after having spent 10 weeks at Maine Medical Center.<\/p>\n

Sitting in a wheelchair, Hannon, 66, said he knows he is lucky to be alive and is grateful to everyone who has supported him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m convinced all the prayers helped, he said. \u201cEveryone said, \u2018We\u2019re praying for you.\u2019 It\u2019s got to help. For me, it\u2019s still a miracle. After 7 1\/2 weeks, when I started remembering things, they told me my house had blown up. From day one, if somebody walked into my room, I cried. I was so emotional because I couldn\u2019t believe they were there. I was so surprised to be alive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hannon is well known and respected in the region for his work as a financial adviser and his volunteerism, including with the Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce, Alfond Youth & Community Center and Sunrise Rotary Club, of which he was president at the time of the explosion.<\/p>\n

He was overwhelmed to learn hundreds of people attended a large fundraiser for him in January at Swish Indoor Golf in the Hathaway Creative Center in Waterville while he was still unconscious. He cried when he watched a video of it later, he said. In it, individuals, couples and groups talked directly to the camera, saying they loved him and were praying for him and wishing him well.<\/p>\n

People visit Hannon regularly at Lakewood, where he has learned to walk with a walker and has daily physical and occupational therapy sessions. Otherwise, he uses a wheelchair. He said he can\u2019t believe the progress he has made. He\u2019s been told he\u2019ll remain there for six to eight weeks more but believes he will be out in 2 1\/2 weeks.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>A VHS tape labeled \u201cCliff & Dale\u2019s Wedding, Aug. 6, 1988\u201d is seen among debris Dec. 1, 2025, following a Thanksgiving Day home explosion at 36 Lakeview Drive in Oakland. (Anna Chadwick\/Staff Photographer)<\/p>\n

He has learned to go to the bathroom by himself, a big goal when he arrived. He has difficulty getting out of bed and can\u2019t bend over or reach for things except with a special tool, but each day, he improves, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been really trying to do therapy as hard as I can,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen they\u2019 re not doing it with me, I try to do it myself. They give me things to do. The food\u2019s good here, the people are good. I can\u2019t complain about the care. I\u2019m extremely lucky for the amazing providers and friends supporting me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018GOD DIDN\u2019T WANT ME YET\u2019 <\/p>\n

Miracles abound. <\/p>\n

Hannon\u2019s wife, Dale, a retired Oakland teacher, was visiting a friend in Florida on Thanksgiving, and their son Gavin, a doctor of osteopathy, was on a cruise. They rushed home when they learned of the explosion, and Hannon\u2019s sister came from Georgia.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy wife is my hero,\u201d he said. \u201cShe struggled all through this, everything from bills for the hospital and not getting the bills that were adjusted, dealing with the contents of the house, dealing with the insurance company to get the claims all done.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said he\u2019s grateful for his son and son\u2019s fianc\u00e9e, a physician\u2019s assistant; they have been supportive and attentive to all things medical.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would encourage anybody who goes through this to have an advocate that fights for them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The Hannons lost everything and are working to try to remember every item in every closet, drawer, room and in the garage as part of insurance settlement needs. It is difficult.<\/p>\n

When he gets out of rehab, the Hannons will stay with a friend who offered an in-law apartment, he said, until they can build a new home on the same site where they lived for 40 years. The new home will be smaller, on one level with a two-car garage and no stairs.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve already got a contractor lined up,\u201d Hannon said. \u201cWe got lucky. He had a job that was canceled. It will be done by the end of the summer, possibly.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said he has no plans to use propane heat in his new home. <\/p>\n

Despite the losses and his long recovery, Hannon is upbeat and optimistic. He credits his good health before the accident for helping him to survive. An avid golfer, he said walking the course regularly and carrying a golf bag were key.<\/p>\n

Hannon anticipates eventually having a part-time job, maybe two days a week, and being even more involved with groups like the chamber and Rotary Club. He is selling his financial business in a week or so, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got a lot to look forward to,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m extremely fortunate. It\u2019s a miracle that I\u2019m alive, and I remember that every day, and know that means I\u2019ve got work to do. God didn\u2019t want me yet.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Cliff Hannon smiles while talking about his progress Thursday in Waterville. Hannon suffered serious injuries after his Oakland…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":210184,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[143,145,144],"class_list":["post-210183","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-oakland","tag-oakland","tag-oakland-headlines","tag-oakland-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210183","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=210183"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210183\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/210184"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=210183"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=210183"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=210183"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}