Concert series donates to the Johnsons

WILSON, N.Y. (WIVB) - Western New York continues to embrace the needs of the grieving Johnson family after the explosion that killed their young daughter Sarah, and flattened their Wilson home.

On Friday, Niagara County Sheriff James Voutour said, "We are quite confident that there was a buildup of propane gas in the house."

But what caused that propane to ignite, and explode the Johnson family house in Wilson, remains unclear.

"The propane will not explode on its own; it takes some type of ignition. And that could come from any number of appliances or devices that are in the house," Voutour explained.

Another question is, where did that propane leak from? While fire investigators keep digging for those answers, friends are focused on helping the Johnsons put their life back together.

Kaitlyn Bowers, a friend of 18-year-old Katie Johnson who remains in the ECMC burn unit, said, "It makes me feel better as a person. I can't do anything for Katie as she's laying in a hospital bed. So this is my way of giving back to her and showing her that I'm here."

This week's installment of the Canal Concert Series in Lockport spontaneously turned into a fundraiser for the Johnsons. There's a guitar raffle every week at Canal Concert Series, but this week, it's special. All of the proceeds of this autographed instrument are going to the Johnson family.

The headliners - Theory of a Deadman - didn't think twice about pitching in.

Lead singer Tyler Connolly said, "We were like, 'Are you serious? Oh my God,' We didn't know anything about it, up until today. It kind of does hit home, when you're in the hometown."

Guitarist Dave Brenner added, "So many times, you see some kind of tragic circumstance, and you're like, 'Ah! If only we could do something.' So for us to be here, and have the opportunity to try to help this family... it's a no-brainer for us."

"It shows people's true character, and this band is just unbelievable to do this," Bowers said.

Wilson Middle School teacher Brian Baker said, "This community just steps up, and they're amazing. It is absolutely amazing, the way people come forward."