A perfect storm of occurrences culminated in a natural gas explosion that splintered a house in southwest Topeka and left the homeowner hospitalized in serious condition, investigators said Wednesday in a report from The Capitol-Journal (http://bit.ly/wRjQbx).
Topeka Fire Department Investigator Michael Martin on Wednesday afternoon said the homeowner, Lucinia “Lucy” Tolliver, 81, remained in serious condition at The University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, Kansas.
Martin said damage to a gas service line about 11:40 a.m. Monday caused it to separate from the main line at a level of about 6 feet underground. He said the exact migration of the gas into the residence at 1905 S.W. Navajo remains under investigation.
“This is one of those terrible things that had a series of events that caused it to happen,” he said.
Martin said a contractor hit the service line when putting in a sprinkler system in a neighboring yard and pulled the line out from the main gas line.
Natural gas explosions can prove dangerous and fatal to both firefighters and civilians. In a recent incident, two NY firefighters were injured when natural gas ignited and exploded, sending them flying through the air. In other high-profile incidents, a natural gas pipeline exploded in Allentown, Pennsylvania last year, killing five people and destroying several homes, while in 2010 a massive explosion in San Bruno, California, killed eight and flattened an entire neighborhood
