Articles Posted in Gas Explosion Accident

MSNBC reports a natural gas explosion accident occurred around 10:45 p.m. on Wednesday, February 9, in Allentown, PA. At least three people were killed in the blast, including a 4-month-old child, and two others are missing.

According to the Allentown fire department, a two-story row house exploded, causing the house and another to be leveled. UGI Corp. stated early Thursday that it is likely one of its natural-gas pipelines exploded, which prompted the accident and the blaze. The explosion was so powerful it was felt in Bethlehem, PA, about nine miles away from Allentown.

Two row homes were set on fire, as were six others. Witnesses to the accident state the flames were hundreds of feet in the air, and it took firefighters several hours to put the fire out. Firefighters were delayed by the complexity of digging through the snow and ice to access the ruptured gas line underground, which was fueling the flames. Between 500 and 600 residents of the area were evacuated.

According to MSNBC, a gas main exploded in the Tacony neighborhood of Philadelphia, PA on Tuesday evening, January 18, killing one person and injuring five others.

The article states that a gas and water main break was reported around 7:19 p.m., and the explosion occurred a little over an hour later, around 8:30 p.m. Witnesses at the scene of the Pennsylvania explosion accident said the explosion caused a fireball 50 feet high and shook the houses in the neighborhood. At least two homes caught fire, as well as a Philadelphia Gas Works (PGW) truck. Nearby businesses and homes were evacuated due to the gas explosion accident. The fire was under control shortly before 11 p.m.

As a result of the explosion accident, one PGW worker was killed and four other PGW employees were injured, as well as a firefighter. The injured victims were taken to Torresdale Hospital, and a spokesperson for the hospital states that four victims are in critical condition. Additionally, one victim has been relocated to a burn center.