2023 was the deadliest year for gas-related home explosions in decades
Spotlight on America has learned 2023 was the deadliest year for catastrophic gas-related home and building explosions in nearly 20 years. National Investigative correspondent Angie Moreschi has been tracking home explosions nationwide for months. In this report, she takes a closer look at what’s causing them and whether you should be worried about your home.
A catastrophic home explosion captured on doorbell video in the suburban Rustic Ridge neighborhood near Pittsburgh was the deadliest nationwide in 2023. Six people were killed.
Another horrific blast in Whitmore Lake, Mich., in December of 2023 destroyed a home and killed four family members who were visiting from Alabama.
And another person was killed in a massive explosion in Lancaster County, Pa., that leveled an inn.
These were just some of the sudden, devastating explosions that made 2023 the deadliest year since 2004 for gas-fed explosions. Data collected by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) reported 23 fatalities last year. That was more than four times higher than the year before, which had five deaths.
Rich Meier is a fire explosion expert who has investigated more than 500 fires and explosions — involving both natural gas and propane. He told Spotlight on America natural gas and gas pipelines are involved in these catastrophic explosions about half the time or more in his experience.
“There are lines that have been in place for over a hundred years, and these are generally cast iron or steel, and they are breaking,” he said.
Aging Infrastructure Risk Factor
Meier says aging infrastructure is a major risk factor for explosions. Old, corroded, gas pipelines are more likely to crack and leak, which could lead to gas migrating underground into people's homes and causing an explosion.
“I had one case in Detroit where it was about a 100-year-old cast iron pipe that had broken due to ground subsidence. There was another case up there that was an old steel pipe that was about 80 years old that had rusted through on numerous occasions and just been patched over and over and over,” Meier said.
When asked to grade the state of our natural gas pipeline infrastructure in the United States, he said, “I would not give it an ‘A,’ that's for sure. I'd probably give it, maybe a ‘C,' maybe a ‘C-minus.’”
Besides aging infrastructure, other significant issues that can cause leaks that lead to explosions include construction work, where pipes can be damaged during digging, and malfunctioning equipment, like gas meters and mercury regulators.
Explosions still haunt residents
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Malfunctioning equipment was the cause of a massive, deadly explosion in August of 2016 in Silver Spring, Md., at the Flower Branch Apartments. Five adults and two children died.
Flower Branch resident Isidro Vargas said he will never forget the terror of that night.
“I saw people jumping from the buildings. It's been terrible,“ he said.
Investigators concluded a malfunctioning 'mercury regulator' on a gas meter caused the deadly Flower Branch blast.
In March of 2022, at another apartment complex just a few miles away also in Silver Spring, there was another massive explosion.
Human error was determined to be the cause of that blast at the Friendly Garden Apartments.
A maintenance worker doing repairs accidentally cut a gas line, instead of a water line.
Alex Jecrois had lived at Friendly Garden for 23 years and was home working when the blast happened in the building directly across from his.
He told Spotlight on America it felt like a bomb went off.
“Boom! And then when I looked out through the window, I saw the flames,” Jecrois said.
He said his mother-in-law lived in the heavily damaged building next door to the explosion and was hurt, suffering a broken ankle. A total of 14 people were injured, but miraculously, no one was killed.
Jecrois can see the explosion site from his window and said it still haunts him to this day.
“It’s like a nightmare,” he said. “Each time there's an alarm, like a smoke alarm. You panic.”
The charred rubble from two buildings destroyed at Friendly Garden has yet to be cleared away, blocked only by a chain link fence and signs warning people to keep out.
No comprehensive database of explosions
The National Transportation Safety Board investigates major explosions that lead to fatalities, significant injury, and significant property loss, but not all explosions are required to be reported to the federal government.
PHMSA tracks gas pipeline-related explosions, but that doesn’t include propane-related incidents.
Fire departments across the country are asked to report explosions to the U.S. Fire Administration to be recorded in the National Fire Incident Reporting System, but that system is voluntary and can be confusing, so many departments don't submit data.
The bottom line is there is no comprehensive database keeping track of all building explosions nationwide, so we don’t have a total count on the true number of explosions in any given year.
Investigators, like Rich Meier, say that’s a concern, because it makes it harder to determine if there's a pattern in what’s causing these explosions across the country.
“The more information you have, the better armed you are when it comes to fixing the problem,” Meier explained.
Sadly, the pace of deadly explosions continues this year, with multiple deaths already, including two children killed in a blast in Defiance, Mo., in January; a firefighter killed in a February blast at a home in Sterling, Va., while battling a blaze there; and two killed in another Pittsburgh-area blast in Crescent Township in March of this year; plus, several more.
Spotlight on America did request an interview with the U.S. Fire Administration to discuss what's causing so many of these explosions and why there is not a more comprehensive database keeping track of them. Their parent agency, FEMA, declined to make someone available to talk with us.
How to protect yourself
Whatever the cause, a build-up of gas fumes inside your home can be extremely dangerous. Meier said it takes a very small amount of energy to trigger an explosion; some as little as static electricity from walking across a carpet or even just flipping a light switch can be enough to set off an explosion.
“If you smell gas, get out immediately. Don't stop. Don't call 911, while you're still in the home. Leave the home. Take everybody with you,” Meier advised.
One way you can help protect yourself, if you use gas in your home, is to buy an in-home gas detector. You can generally get them at your local hardware store or even on Amazon for about $20 to $50. All you do is plug them into the wall in an area near your gas stove, gas heater, or other gas appliance. If gas fumes build up, an alarm sounds, warning you to get out.
