As the City of Lexington continues to pick up from Wednesday evening’s fatal gas explosion, residents are coming together to support the family whose house was destroyed by the explosion.

The explosion Wednesday, April 9 around 7:15 p.m. near the intersection of 18th and Franklin claimed the life of a five-year-old boy while seriously injuring a ten-year-old girl and their father. A relative of the family has established a GoFundMe account to help with the family’s funeral expenses as well as medical costs, while a second account set up at the Bank Midwest branch in Lexington is also accepting donations. In one of their social media updates Thursday night, city officials advised residents that these were the only two accounts authorized by the family, and that potential donors should be aware of the potential that scam artists could use the situation to take advantage of others.

The Lexington Ministerial Alliance is organizing a collection drive Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Lexington United Methodist Church. In coordination with the American Red Cross, the alliance will accept clothing, personal hygiene, and other immediate items. The City of Lexington has also made city hall available as a debrief or support area for residents needing mental health services to visit with a representative from Compass Mental Health.

Crews continue to assess the damage caused the explosion, which stemmed from a subcontractor striking a gas line Wednesday afternoon. The explosion also damaged several homes and caused several families to evacuate. Gas service to the city of Lexington remains off; Liberty Utilities posted on their website Thursday afternoon that the outage may be extended, as crews are shutting off gas meters across the city as part of the service restoration process.