Three killed in Gainesville explosion laid to rest

GAINESVILLE - Three Gainesville children killed in a house explosion were laid to rest Tuesday.

The joint funeral for 14-year-old Casey Simmons and 11-year-old twins Kevin and Kayla Simmons was held at Hillside Funeral Home in Gainesville.

To a crowd of over 1,000 the Rev. Paul Morris tried to bring comfort by referring to the service as a celebration of the life of the three.

Casey Simmons was eulogized by Gainesville High School Basketball Coach Jamie Moore, who remembered Casey as a person who brought positive change to everyone he met.

The siblings were buried in the cemetery of Mt. Zion United Methodist Church in Alto.

All three were killed when their house exploded the night of February 18. Hall County fire investigators blame a leak in a 100-pound propane tank for the blast.

Injured in the blast were their mother, Ginger Evans, and stepfather, Eddie Evans.

Ginger was in critical condition for a time; both have been released from the Lanier Park Campus of the Northeast Georgia Medical Center.