1 dead as gas explosion rocks Baltimore
Print Edition
A NATURAL gas explosion destroyed three row houses in the US city of Baltimore on Monday morning, killing a woman and trapping other people in the debris.
At least seven people were seriously injured, and firefighters were searching 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 northwest Baltimore neighborhood of Reisterstown Station strewn with glass and other rubble.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a disaster. It鈥檚 a mess. It鈥檚 unbelievable,鈥 said Diane Glover, who lives across the street. Her windows where shattered and her front door was blown open. 鈥淚鈥檓 still shaken up,鈥 she said hours later.
Seven people were hospitalized, while a woman was pronounced dead at the scene, The Baltimore City Fire Department said on its Twitter page. One person transported to the University of Maryland Medical Center is in critical condition, the Baltimore Sun reported. Rescuers were painstakingly going through the rubble by hand, prepared to work into the night.
鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to make sure that we comb through every area to determine if there are any victims inside,鈥 Baltimore Fire Department spokeswoman Blair Adams said at an afternoon news conference.
While the cause wasn鈥檛 immediately clear, The Sun reported last year that dangerous gas leaks have become much more frequent, with nearly two dozen discovered each day on average, according to the utility鈥檚 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 US$1 billion and take two decades, the newspaper said.
No gas odors were reported prior to this morning鈥檚 event and BGE did not receive any recent gas odor calls from the block of homes that were damaged, it said in a statement late Monday.
BGE said it responded to the scene at the fire department鈥檚 request to shut off all gas and electric services to make the scene safe.
BGE has 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. 鈥淎rea inspections will encompass homes and gas equipment in a wide area to ensure there is no additional damage,鈥 the statement said.
鈥淚n addition, BGE is reviewing records for this area, including any reported gas odors, recent inspection results and repairs.鈥
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