EUSTIS, Fla. — The Eustis jewelry shop owner who was severely hurt when her store exploded Thursday remained in the hospital in critical condition, city leaders said Friday afternoon.
Wendy Davis, owner of Darklyn Beads & Beyond, was airlifted to the hospital shortly after the explosion, which firefighters said happened shortly after utility crews patched a gas leak outside her store.
It remains unclear how gas seeped into the back of Davis’ building, which customers said also served as her home – something city leaders said they have battled with her about in the past.
Firefighters said it wasn’t uncommon for gas to leak into utility lines, but Davis’ property was run on electricity, not gas.
They theorized that her welding and soldering equipment in the back room may have triggered the gas. Ultimately, the State Fire Marshal will investigate and determine the cause, if possible.
“It was her life,” former commissioner and Lake Eustis Chamber of Commerce President Marie Aliberti said, of the store. “I never saw her outside of there.”
Customers and community members described Davis as an introvert, known as kind and devoted to her craft. They said she was helpful to those who shopped and earned many repeat customers.
They also said Davis is mourning the loss of a person they described as her partner, who passed away recently. Several said she told them the store was all she had left.
The building has been declared a total loss and the blown-out windows were boarded up.
“Just a good person,” Aliberti said. “A small business owner just trying to make it. And this is just a terrible thing to happen.”
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