On Friday afternoon, a leaking natural gas line exploded, leveling a duplex along Main Street in Lewisville and cracking windows more than a mile away.
Three people were injured in the blast. Two of those were firefighters who were treated at the scene and released. The third was 55-year-old duplex resident Scott Deahl, who was taken off of life support on Sunday.
The leveled home was owned by Christian Community Actions, a nonprofit aimed at helping people get back on their feet. That's what Diehl was attempting to do. At a public remembrance this morning, CCA president and CEO Ron Batts read from a prepared statement and passed along a note written by Diehl back in May in which he described the downward spiral of drugs and alcohol that began after he was put on disability in 2004. He lost his family and his home and turned to CCA for help paying bills and, eventually, housing.
In February 2012, isolated and worried about losing his benefits, Diehl attempted suicide.
"On one hand I cut 4 or 5 times. The other hand 8 or 9 times," he wrote. "The blood kept stopping so after 3 hours I called the ambulance. While in the hospital I was joined by 2 people in prayer. This is part of my story. Now I'm trying to walk the path with God by doing some volunteer work with CCA, hoping to find my way in life."
Diehl leaves behind a 12-year-old daughter and two sisters, who issued a statement thanking CCA and expressing faith that others will learn from their brother's struggle for redemption.
"As sad as we are to have lost Scott so suddenly in this way, these are the things we want people to know and remember about him," they wrote. "We rejoice in the fact that He is now with the Lord. This gives us great peace and carries us through this time."