Columbus, OH – Columbus Fire Division investigators have pinpointed the faulty installation of a gas shutoff valve for a stove as the cause of an explosion that leveled a South Side house on Tuesday.
Jack Morris, 69, and his 3-year-old great-granddaughter were pulled out by neighbors from the burning rubble of the Lock Avenue home. Both were treated at hospitals for burns and are expected to make a full recovery.
Fire investigators have ruled that the fire was accidental and caused by a natural-gas explosion.
The gas leak occurred after Morris disconnected the stove and changed the gas shutoff valve, according to Columbus fire.