Gas explosion levels homes, kills at least 1
BALTIMORE — A natural gas explosion destroyed three row houses in Baltimore on Monday, killing a woman and trapping others in the wreckage. At least six people were hospitalized as firefighters searched for more survivors.
Dozens of firefighters converged on the piles of rubble. A fourth house in the row was ripped open, and windows were shattered in nearby homes, leaving the neighborhood strewn with debris and glass.
“It’s a disaster. It’s a mess. It’s unbelievable,” said Diane Glover, who lives across the street. The explosion shattered her windows and blew open her front door, bending the frame.
Six people were taken to hospitals, while an adult woman was pronounced dead at the scene, a fire spokeswoman said. Rescuers were painstakingly sifting the wreckage by hand. About two hours after the explosion, a line of firefighters removed a person on a stretcher to a waiting ambulance.
“You have homes that were pretty much crumbled,” said Fire Department spokeswoman Blair Adams. “A ton of debris on the ground. So, we’re pulling and trying to comb through to see if we can find any additional occupants.”
While the cause wasn’t immediately clear, the Baltimore Sun reported last year that dangerous gas leaks have become much more frequent, with nearly two dozen discovered each day on average, according to utility reports to federal authorities. The Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. has thousands of miles of obsolete pipes that need to be replaced, an effort that would cost nearly $1 billion and take two decades, the newspaper said.
BGE said it responded at the fire department’s request to shut off all gas and electric service to make the scene safe. BGE canvassed the area and found no current readings of gas. A statement from the utility said it will conduct an investigation of its equipment in the area.