Middletown, OH – Middletown, Ohio – Officials said Friday afternoon that a gas line installed inside a sewer pipe led to the explosion that destroyed a home earlier in the week.
About five years ago, Cinergy hired a subcontractor to replace all the gas lines in the Butler County neighborhood. The five-inch plastic pipe ran inside the sewer line at the rental home for about three feet.
When a plumber was cleaning out the sewer line on Monday he hit the gas pipe, which split open and sent natural gas into the sewer and out into the basement of the home. The gas then either reached the pilot light or the water heater and ignited, leveling the house.
Neither the tenant nor the landlord had insurance, and so far it’s unclear if they’ll be compensated for their losses.