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Seeking shelter

In the van, he and his wife weren't sure where to go - no one told them. They went to Denny's Restaurant and from there were directed to the high school, before being temporarily housed at the hospital. "I need special care," he said. At the hospital, he shared a room with his wife, and he doesn't expect to get a bill.

"All they had was the clothes on their backs," Cheryl Gray said.

They had to leave without Rocky, the family cat, presumed lost to the explosion.

For the immediate future, Scoglio is headed to an assisted-living facility in Danvers. Eventually, he wants to get back in his house. But it took hours yesterday for his wife just to get permission to go inside and retrieve necessities, like his wheelchair battery and braces.

He chided her not to forget things for herself. "She doesn't think of the things she needs," he said. "Carol is a very nice woman. Very helpful."

Scoglio didn't complain about his situation.

"There's poor people blowing in a tube just to get their wheelchair around," he said.

With effort, he can maneuver his wheelchair by hand. Moreover, in his brief hospital stay he's won over enough nurses that they offered warm goodbye hugs at the end of the day, knowing he will likely be gone when they return.

He speaks warmly of Beverly Hospital and its staff.

As for the chemical company where the blast occurred, he said, "They should let you know what's near you."

Before day's end, there was good news yesterday. Scoglio's sister-in-law had been allowed to visit the shattered neighborhood, where she found Rocky. The cat is now living at her house.

Despite having been critically injured in an accident and then surviving a massive explosion, Scoglio laughs off the suggestion that he's had bad luck.

"This is the way I think," he said with a smile. "I think for some reason or other I have very good luck. But not quite good enough."

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