Millersville, PA – An entire home was leveled in Manor Township by a natural gas explosion killing a natural gas worker and leaving three others injured July 2.
Millersville, PA An entire home was leveled in Manor Township by a natural gas explosion killing a natural gas worker and leaving three others injured July 2.
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UGI technicians responding to reports of a natural gas leak were excavating a location near the Manor Township home before it exploded, according to a preliminary report released Monday by investigators for the National Transportation and Safety Board.
A preliminary report released Monday by the National Transportation Safety Board explains investigators’ findings about the natural gas leak and laid out a timeline of events leading up to the devastating explosion at the Manor Township home.
Here is the timeline events as explained by investigators:
10:40 a.m.: Local resident detects smell of natural gas near the home as she walked through the Springdale Lane neighborhood and called UGI.
11 a.m. to 12 p.m.: UGI technicians arrived at the 206 Springdale Lane residence and measured the gas concentration with a gas detector. At that time, the technician discovered gas concentration was near its ‘lower explosive limit.’
The technician and lone resident then opened the doors and windows of the home to rid the house of gas.
12:20 p.m.: UGI technicians instructed resident to leave the home. The resident then drove her car out of the garage and out of the neighborhood.
12:20 to 12:39 p.m.: Two additional UGI technicians arrive on scene. The two technicians begin excavating a location near the house to stop the flow of leaking gas.
A Lancaster Area Sewer Authority employee arrives on scene to locate sewer lines for the technicians since earlier gas measurements detected natural gas in the sewage system.
12:39 p.m.: The home explodes.
Investigators say the first UGI technician on scene was working at the meter on the side of the house at the time of the explosion. The technician’s body was found within the debris field after the explosion.
Two UGI technicians and LASA employee were injured and taken to the hospital. Their injuries were not life-threatening.
Local fire departments arrive on scene in response to UGI’s initial 911 call.
Four homes damaged by explosion.
Preliminary report on home explosion shows leaks found, natural gas detected in sewer lines.
After the explosion, the NTSB used a video camera to inspect the 2-inch gas main where tapping tees were excavated and pressure tested, according to the preliminary report.
In the report, offficials say the tapping tee belonging to the home was found to be leaking and that the sewer main in the cul-de-sac was determined to have been compromised. The report went on to explain the 6-inch sewer cleanout in the front yard of the house was missing its cap.
Investigators reported the service line to the home was also pressure tested and found to be free of any leaks, according to the preliminary report.
The NTSB removed a gas metetr, a portion of the service line riser and three tapping tees and sent them to the NTSB materials laboratory for examination.
Officials emphasized Monday’s report is preliminary and that it will be either supplemented or corrected throughout the investigation. The report did not contain a determination of Probable Cause.
Roger Evans, the lead investigator on the case, says the investigation could take up to a year to complete.
The investigation will take a long time. We will probably have between 25-30,000 documents [in our final report.] We will come back and do interviews, extensive interviews, with a number of people, he said.
In the NTSB’s final report, Evans says it will also include recommendations on how to avoid incidents like this in the future.
CBS21 News’ Chris Nallan spoke with UGI about those safety measures.
“Incidents like this are rare. Unfortunately, occasionally, they do happen,” Joseph Swope with UGI said.
According to UGI, it was a gas leak that led to this massive explosion.
“It has to be inside where there could be some sort of a build up and you need a spark,” he said.
But what ignited the blast at the Manor Township home has yet to be determined. In a case like this, a homeowner can prevent a tragedy of this magnitude.
It all starts with your sense of smell.
“If they detect the smell of natural gas, whether it be inside their home or outside, doesn’t really matter. Natural gas has a very unique odor,” Swope said.
Natural gas alone is odorless and colorless. To make natural gas detectable, a chemical called ‘mercaptan’ is added which releases that unique odor.
“It smells like rotten eggs or sulfur, it’s a smell very difficult to ignore,” he said.
UGI says although leaks may not be common, should you smell this odor, you should act immediately.
“If you smell that heavily, whatever the case may be, you get out of your house as quickly as possible, leave the door open as you go,” he said.
He also urges you not to turn on any light switches if you smell gas or light a match or use a lighter — All of which could ignite a bigger problem.
“When you get a distance where you can no longer smell has, you should call 911 or UGI,” he said. “It’s free for us to come out, there’s not a charge for us to investigate a natural gas odor. We come out 24/7!”
UGI says there are also natural gas detectors that you can buy for your home. But they say it does come down to that strong smell — Do not ignore it!