Click, Click, Boom: Houses That Have Exploded Due to a Gas Leak

Image via Wikipedia

Sniff, sniff.  Do you smell gas?  If you answered yes, then you need to get on the phone right away.  The thought of a home explosion is so drastic, dramatic, faraway, and Hollywood written.  It definitely seems to be something that no one really needs to worry about.  Unfortunately, the following homeowners cannot share that sentiment.  I’m sure the thought of their homes exploding never entered their minds, yet that is exactly what happened. 

Houses that have exploded in the USA within the last year:

On April 24, 2009, a house exploded in Queens, New York.  WCBSTV in New York, which features both a video clip and picture of the wreckage, reported that Con Edison had responded to a call reporting the smell of gas.  When the workers pulled the cover off of the manhole that supplied gas to the area, the explosion occurred.  The explosion was felt 10 blocks away.  After the initial house explosion, fire spread to surrounding homes.  A 40-year old mother of three was found dead beneath the rubble.  Six others, including a Con Edison worker, were treated for minor injuries.   

Image by Cyron Ray Macey via Wikimedia Commons     This picture shows a gas main.

On Jan. 29, 2009, WBZTV reported that a home in Gloucester, Massachusetts exploded due to a break in a six-inch gas main.  The gas main was located in front of the home of the victim, Officer Wayne Sargent, who suffered serious burns as a result of the explosion.  A number of pictures were taken at the scene.

Image via Wikipedia     Gas main being laid into a trench

On Dec. 24, 2008, a home in Rancho Cordova, California exploded due to a very large natural gas leak.  A gas leak had been reported and a worker from the local gas company, PG&E, was actually at the scene when the explosion occurred.  It was a fatal blast, killing Wilbert “Bill” Paana.  It also critically injured both Paana’s daughter and granddaughter, Kim and Sunny Dickson respectively.  An investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board said that usually when someone reports smelling gas, the entire neighborhood is evacuated.  PG&E had claimed earlier that an evacuation was unnecessary.  The explosion was caused by a coupling on a pipe in front of the victim’s house.  The full story with a picture can be found at CBS13. 

On June 22, 2008, Keloland television reported a home explosion in Sioux Falls, North Dakota.  The house exploded due to a natural gas leak in the basement.  Authorities could not conclude whether the leak was in the pipes leading into appliances or if the problem was with the appliances.  Anything that could have helped them distinguish is gone now.  The house is completely leveled.  The homeowners, Justin and Laura Mehlhaff, were away at the time of the explosion.  No one was injured, but nearly all of the Mehlhaff’s possessions were lost in the blast.  The explosion is displayed within a You Tube video.

These were just four examples, but there have been countless other home explosions due to a gas leak within the last year in the USA. 

Image via Wikipedia     Manlove Field, natural gas storage area

Warning Signs of a Gas Leak

Inside the home:

• A rotten eggs type of odor.
• Extremely high pilot or burner flames.
• Whistling, roaring, or hissing noises within gas equipment or near a pipeline.
• damaged connection to a gas appliance.

Outside the home:

• Dirt, water, or debris blown into the air.
• Wet areas on the ground have continual bubbles.
• Vegetation in the area of a pipeline is dead or discolored.
• Fire or explosion near the pipeline.
• A pipeline exposed following a natural disaster.

Do Not:

• turn any light switch or electrical appliance on or off.  This could create a spark, causing the gas to ignite.
• smoke, use a lighter, use a match, or light a candle.
• try to turn the gas valves on or off.
• use telephone, garage door opener, cell phone, or a flashlight.
• use vehicles or other machinery.
• rely solely on your sense of smell to detect a leak.  Natural gas is odorless.  The rotten egg smell is added as a means of detection, but that odor can fade.

If a gas leak does occur;  immediately leave the area, warn others, and dial 911 and the gas service provider.