Big house completely leveled.

If a gas leak caused the explosion, how is it possible for that much gas to build-up without someone smelling it, and reporting it.

Seems like a huge explosion considering the size of the house.

Explosion destroys home in Ballantyne, man inside airlifted to hospital after calling for help

House Explosion in Ballantyne: Emergency crews coming from every angle.

sounds like gas

Some people do not have the sense of smell. That is a possible explanation. People who have had closed head injuries may have lost their olfactory senses. He may have used the phone to call for assistance.

Meth lab?

As an insurance adjuster I have a claim where tenants were making hash oil and it caused an explosion. House not destroyed, but the pressure wave blew out all 4 walls like a balloon between 3" and 1 ft. off of the bottom plate.

Meth lab?

Edit: Strambo beat me by a few secs. Warped minds think alike.

My guess is natural gas.
I lived through a building explosion. The fire inspector told me if the large plate glass windows on the first floor had not shattered and relieved the pressure, the building would have been destroyed.

I believe it. A couple of years ago there was a major gas explosion in an apartment complex in Silver Spring, MD. 7 dead. One complex basically destroyed. I lived about a mile from this place for about 6 years and drove past it thousands of times. I had moved before the explosion.

https://www.washingtonpost.com...m_term=.9daed0a09ce2

Beginning of this report they mentioned that they had just arrived home from vacation and flipped on the light switch.

Guess that would explain how so much gas could build-up.

quote:

Originally posted by kimber1911:
Beginning of this report they mentioned that they had just arrived home from vacation and flipped on the light switch.

Guess that would explain how so much gas could build-up.

It possibly explains the ignition source, yet it doesn't explain the build up.

I guess it was natural gas, considering the completion of destruction; today's home construction standards notwithstanding, it takes a lot of natural gas to load up a house, particularly one of this size.

Other utility construction nearby? House sitters? Equipment failure? Intent? Length of vacancy? Who knows? I am curious to the results of the investigation. With the sad loss of life the outcome will be buried and forgotten.

The cause and origin investigators insurance companies hire are pretty good, I'm sure they'll peg a cause with a reasonable certainty. They'll be looking for a part failure or shoddy work by a contractor within whatever the time limit is for the Ins. company to sue and recover most of the costs.

If it was a family returning from vacation then likely natural gas (unless Walter White snuck in while they were gone), just a matter of why and how?

While we were stationed at Ft. Carson back in the early '60s there was a natural gas incident in one of the dependent apartments. That set of quarters had stood empty for some time and quite a bit of natural gas had accumulated in the quarters. There were 4 sets of quarters in each building. The end unit had pretty much filled up with natural gas. Neighbors smelled it and called the MPs. Guy on duty drove up to check it out, just in time for the explosion. Blew the whole end wall across the yard and landed on top of his car. Killed several people in adjacent units. Natural gas is nothing to screw around with!

Moral of the story, if you smell gas clear the building and get emergency services there, ASAP!

Wow! That might be more than Molly Maid® can take care of.

Flipping on a light switch would not ignite the gas unless the bulb was compromised ala the movies or a spark at the light switch which is highly doubtful.

quote:

Originally posted by Strambo:
Meth lab?

As an insurance adjuster I have a claim where tenants were making hash oil and it caused an explosion. House not destroyed, but the pressure wave blew out all 4 walls like a balloon between 3" and 1 ft. off of the bottom plate.

Possible, but the news report footage doesn't show the sort of neighborhood where meth labs are usually located. Awfully expensive real estate for a meth lab.

A neighbor had the roof lifted off their house by a gas explosion and set down a few inches off-kilter. It was repairable. The gas leaked and was ignited while no-one was home.

It happened to a man I worked with several years ago. He and his wife went out to dinner and came home to find his street blocked by the fire dept. They said a house had exploded and was destroyed. He found out it was his and the only thing left was the slab it was built on. If they had been home they both would have died.

Interior Gas Leak they say.
Before


After

My old neighborhood, about 2 miles away, had a house blow up due to a natural gas leak. The occupants smelled it, called in, but no leak was found at first. Then it blew up. I saw the aftermath, neighboring houses were also destroyed or severely damaged.

It turns out the underground natural gas pipes were leaking and the gas was forced up, where it got ignited. It’s a heckuva explosion.

I live 2 miles away now and the gas company was out this week probing around all houses, including mine, in the soil with measuring and sniffing equipment. This is now done for all neighborhoods in the vicinity.

This is the only story I could find that’s not behind a paywall. Link

.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richmond_Hill_explosion

Maybe they did not want to make a house payment

quote:

Originally posted by Shaql:
Flipping on a light switch would not ignite the gas unless the bulb was compromised ala the movies or a spark at the light switch which is highly doubtful.

I’ve seen light switches cause sparking numerous times. It’s nothing out of the realm of possibility. Perhaps it’s due to old houses or something else but I’ve seen it.

quote:

Originally posted by mrvmax:

quote:

Originally posted by Shaql:
Flipping on a light switch would not ignite the gas unless the bulb was compromised ala the movies or a spark at the light switch which is highly doubtful.

I’ve seen light switches cause sparking numerous times. It’s nothing out of the realm of possibility. Perhaps it’s due to old houses or something else but I’ve seen it.

All light switches arc, even brand new ones. In a house of that size it is typical to have a two story foyer with a large chandelier with many lamps, more load, bigger the arc. Also if you use CFL bulbs the ruin switches from large startup load and arc a bunch. Also a loose lightbulb will arc as well.