Natural gas leak in Tecumseh could have set off explosion

A Tecumseh homeowner’s faulty attempt to install his own natural gas line connected to an outdoor barbecue nearly had fatal consequences Tuesday morning when firefighters discovered natural gas levels inside the home were capable of causing an explosion. A family of four living in the 500 block of Michael Drive were sent to hospital as a precaution at around 7:30 a.m., shortly after waking up and discovering their home was being filled with natural gas from the overnight leak.

“There is a lesson to be learned here,” said Bob Hamilton, fire prevention officer for Tecumseh. “Whenever you are dealing with any gas, hire somebody who is licensed to do it.

“Yes, it costs you a bit more, but this was a family where there could have been an explosion in the house. That explosion could have affected other homes.” There were carbon monoxide detectors in the home, but the natural gas leak did not reach levels to set off the alarm.

Natural gas vapours require a separate detector, but levels inside the home were high enough to have caused an explosion if ignited, Hamilton said.

A spokeswoman for Union Gas said the owner of the home called shortly before 7 a.m. about the strong odour.

“Our technician investigated and readings both inside and outside the home were high, so he evacuated the residents, turned off the meter and called the fire department,” said Andrea Stass, media relations manager for Union Gas. “What we understand is a new valve was installed (Monday) by a relative of the homeowner for a barbecue and that was the source of the leak. The levels were high enough there was risk for explosion.” When Tecumseh Fire Services arrived they cleared the area and shut down the block to traffic until everything was safe again, before leaving the scene around 9 a.m., Hamilton said.

“It was all over with by then,” he said.

“(Natural gas) had saturated the house, so there should have been an odour, but I guess the people were sleeping. This particular family got very lucky.”

For any work performed on the natural gas system of any residence, “we do recommend you use a registered, licensed contractor,” Stass said.

A contractor should be certified under the Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA), she said. “We do that to ensure installation is done to code and standards so that it is safe,” Stass said. “This is a good example of what can go wrong. The valve was not set up correctly and leaked. Using a registered contractor would have hopefully avoided the situation.” Anyone smelling a natural gas leak should immediately open all windows and doors, leave the home, then call Union Gas or 911 “from a safe distance,” she said. The emergency number for Union Gas is 1-877-969-0999.

There is a lesson to be learned here. Whenever you are dealing with any gas, hire somebody who is licensed to do it.