Suit filed in Cuyahoga County alleges negligent propane furnace installation by Anderson Heating & Cooling and parent company Atrium Home Group caused the November 2025 blast.
CLEVELAND, Ohio (July 2, 2026) — Nurenberg, Paris, Heller & McCarthy, a Cleveland-based personal injury law firm, has filed a lawsuit on behalf of a Northeast Ohio firefighter and his teenage daughter who were severely burned when their Montville home exploded. The suit, filed July 1, 2026, in the Court of Common Pleas of Cuyahoga County, Ohio (case number CV-26-141783), alleges that a negligently installed propane system caused the explosion.
According to the complaint, Timothy Tobin, a 47-year-old military veteran and firefighter of nearly 30 years, and his 19-year-old daughter, Savannah Tobin, were inside their home on Hart Road in Montville on November 21, 2025, when it exploded. The lawsuit alleges that propane leaked from a newly installed furnace and gas line, accumulated inside the home, and ignited. Both escaped the burning structure. The home and everything in it were destroyed.
The explosion left Timothy Tobin with severe burns across roughly a third of his body. According to the complaint, he spent nearly a month at MetroHealth Medical Center’s burn unit in Cleveland, including about three weeks on a ventilator, and underwent multiple surgeries and skin grafts. The suit states he has permanent scarring, lasting damage to both hands, and can no longer work as a firefighter. Savannah Tobin suffered burns to her hands, face, and legs that required skin graft surgery, along with additional injuries described in the filing.
The lawsuit names Anderson Group Holdings, LLC, doing business as Anderson Heating & Cooling, and its parent company, Atrium Home Group, LLC, doing business as Atrium Home Services. The complaint alleges the companies negligently installed and failed to properly test the propane system and did not follow national propane safety codes, including standards set by the International Residential Code and the National Fire Protection Association. It further alleges that Atrium, through its “Atrium University” training program, was responsible for training the technicians who performed the work.
“This case is about a basic safety failure, but with life-altering consequences.” Said Jordan D. Lebovitz, Attorney at Nurenberg Paris. “Federal, industry, and state regulation codes require technicians to check for and confirm any gas leaks and confirm safe operation of equipment before leaving a job. That didn’t happen here, and the Tobin’s paid for it with their bodies, now severely disfigured. We filed suit to hold the company and its ownership accountable, and to ensure this doesn’t happen to any other family.”
Nurenberg, Paris, Heller & McCarthy has represented victims of catastrophic injury across Ohio for decades. The firm’s Cleveland explosion and burn injury attorneys handle cases involving severe burns caused by fires, explosions, and defective or improperly installed equipment.
About Nurenberg, Paris, Heller & McCarthy
Nurenberg, Paris, Heller & McCarthy has represented injured Ohioans since 1928. The firm’s track record of success during the past nine decades has made them the top personal injury law firm in Ohio. The firm handles incredibly complex cases and pursues accountability against some of the largest and most powerful corporations, hospitals, manufacturers, and trucking and aviation companies in the world. Nurenberg, Paris, Heller & McCarthy is also dedicated to promoting a culture of giving, and the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Foundation has recognized it as a regional leader in community outreach and involvement.
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