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Ava restaurant owner, family killed in Douglas County explosion at home in Goodhope

Portrait of Ryan Collingwood Ryan Collingwood
Springfield News-Leader
Alex Haro, Sal Haro Sr., Sylvia Haro, and Sal Haro Jr. died in a weekend explosion in Douglas County.

Members of the Ava community placed flowers at the front of a popular diner on Monday following a weekend tragedy that claimed the lives of four Ozarks family members.

The Douglas County Sheriff's Office confirmed Monday that Salvador Haro, owner of Haro Brothers in Ava, was among those who died in a reported propane-related explosion at a home in Goodhope. Sylvia Haro and Salvador Haro Jr. were also identified by the Sheriff's Office, and relatives have since named the 16-year-old victim, Alex Haro.

Multiple fire and law enforcement agencies responded to the explosion which occurred around 9 p.m. on Saturday at a house located off State Highway 442-B. The home was reportedly undergoing renovations when authorities said a propone tank caused the home to explode, killing the four victims at the scene.

A GoFundMe page created on January 20 indicated that the family's home by a house fire.

Sheriff Chris Degase said in a news release that the explosion was "like no other I have seen," prompting him to contact Greene County Sheriff Jim Arnott and Christian County Sheriff Brad Cole. They assisted by sending a bomb squad, specialized equipment, and additional deputies to conduct and document the evidence. The State Fire Marshal and ATF also are also assisting the active investigation.

This was the second fatal propane-related explosion in Douglas County in three months. An elderly woman reportedly died March 31 after a house exploded in Denlow.

Victims were local students

Spokane High School confirmed Monday that Alex Haro was a sophomore at the Christian County school, where he was active in several school activities.

Last week Haro was named treasurer of the school's FACS (Family and Consumer Sciences) program on the Spokane Owls' social media pages.

"He will be greatly missed," the school told the News-Leader in a text message.

Online records indicate that Salvador Haro Jr. was a 2022 Missouri State University graduate, where he was president of Delta Sigma Pi-Kappa Omicron. He had worked at Bass Pro Shop in Springfield.

Help the Haro family

A was created Monday to help offset the family's funeral costs and other expenses.

"We ask our family, friends and community to help us in supporting their daughter/ sister with funeral expenses during this difficult time. Any donation no matter the size will make a meaningful difference with the financial burden while we try to cope with this tragedy."

The page had received 99 donations for a total of $6,577 dollars as of 9 a.m. Tuesday morning.

Ryan Collingwood covers a wide range of topics for the News-Leader with an emphasis on public safety. He can be reached by phone at 417-258-8174 and email at rcollingwood@news-leader.com.ÌýYou can also follow Ryan on social media atÂ