12:30 p.m. March 5 UPDATE: The Missouri State Fire Marshal reported the explosion that destroyed an Imperial home last week was accidental.
Investigators determined a subcontractor working for AT&T damaged a natural gas service line with a boring machine while installing fiber-optic cable outside the home on White Haven Court. The Rock Community Fire Protection District had been called to the home at about noon March 3 due to the gas leak and had evacuated the home about 90 minutes before the explosion.
“The accumulated gas ignited in the basement, producing an internal overpressure event and subsequent fire that destroyed the structure,” a Missouri Division of Fire Safety spokesman said in an email. “Firefighters and Spire representatives were on scene at the time of the explosion because of the discovery of the gas leak. DFS has not stated exactly what sparked the explosion.”
Rock Fire spokeswoman Alyson Rotter said the explosion occurred at about 1:30 p.m. She said five people had been evacuated from the home, but no other homes in the subdivision were evacuated prior to the explosion.
No one was injured following the explosion, Rock Fire reported.
A GoFundMe page set up for the family says Paul and Megan Nuspl and their four children lived at the home. As of March 5, $14,620 had been donated to the family.
Another collection was setup by one of Paul Nuspl’s relatives on Facebook, asking for donations of clothes for the family as well as gift cards for gas and food.
Spire released a statement that said the company was notified that a third-party excavator working for another utility hit a gas line in an Imperial subdivision.
“Once notified, we took immediate action and worked with the Rock Community Fire Protection District to evacuate nearby homes and stop the leak,” the statement said. “However, after the line was struck, gas migrated into a home and today’s incident occurred.”
An AT&T spokesperson said in a statement that as soon as the subcontractor was aware of the damage, the local gas provider was notified to begin repairs as soon as possible.
“Our teams supported the response and based on our initial findings, we believe this damage was the result of inaccurate markings of underground utilities,” the statement said.
The AT&T spokesperson also said buried utility lines were marked by a third-party contractor for another utility.
“Our contractors are trained to obtain proper permitting, follow local construction codes, and abide by rules governing rights-of-way and property easements,” the statement said. “In cases where property damage does occur, we expect and strongly encourage the company responsible to assess the situation and to work directly with those affected to address the matter fairly and equitably.”
According to the Missouri811 website, mo.itic.occinc.com, five utility companies had marked the area, but Spire had not completed marking the area due to trouble locating the line.
“We are collaborating with authorities on their investigation, and we don’t want to jump to premature conclusions at this time while their efforts are still ongoing,” Spire said in a statement March 4 about lines not being accurately marked.
Rotter said only the home where the gas leak was detected outside was evacuated on March 3. She said a crew was outside the home when it exploded, and the first truck to respond to the fire arrived at about 1:35 p.m.
Rotter said the fire was under control at about 4:30 p.m., and the first truck that responded to the explosion and fire cleared the scene at about 5:30 p.m.
She said the truck that responded to the initial report of the gas leak cleared the scene at about 6:35 p.m.
Rotter said firefighters removed windows and doors from neighboring homes on each side of the house that exploded to ventilate those homes. She said the neighboring homes’ residents were still displaced as of March 4.
The Antonia Fire Protection District assisted on the call. The Rock Township Ambulance District also responded to the home.
1 p.m. March 4 UPDATE:
An Imperial home exploded on Tuesday, March 3, about an hour and a half after it was evacuated due to a gas leak. No injuries were reported, Rock Community Fire Protection District spokeswoman Alyson Rotter said.
The explosion occurred at about 1:30 p.m. on White Haven Court, which is off Miller Road just south of Arnold. The home had been evacuated at about noon after Rock firefighters were called due to a gas leak outside of the house, Rotter said.
She said five people lived at the home that was destroyed by the explosion. She also said the state Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the explosion.
Spire released a statement that said the company was notified that a third-party excavator working for another utility hit a gas line in an Imperial subdivision.
“Once notified, we took immediate action and worked with the Rock Community Fire Protection District to evacuate nearby homes and stop the leak,” the statement said. “However, after the line was struck, gas migrated into a home and today’s incident occurred.”
Reports indicate that AT&T fiber lines were being installed underground in the subdivision.
“Our thoughts are with residents affected by the gas line strike that occurred yesterday (March 3),” an AT&T spokesperson said in a statement. “As soon as the subcontractor was aware of this damage, the local gas provider was notified to begin repairs as soon as possible.
“Our teams supported the response and based on our initial findings, we believe this damage was the result of inaccurate markings of underground utilities.”
The AT&T spokesperson also said buried utility locaters were marked by a third-party contractor for another utility.
“Our contractors are trained to obtain proper permitting, follow local construction codes, and abide by rules governing rights-of-way and property easements,” the statement said. “In cases where property damage does occur, we expect and strongly encourage the company responsible to assess the situation and to work directly with those affected to address the matter fairly and equitably.”
Rotter said only the home where the gas leak was detected outside was evacuated on Tuesday. She said a crew was outside the home when it exploded, and the first truck to respond to the fire arrived at about 1:35 p.m.
Rotter said the fire was under control at about 4:30 p.m., and the first truck that responded to the explosion and fire cleared the scene at about 5:30 p.m.
She said the truck that responded to the initial report of the gas leak cleared the scene at about 6:35 p.m.
Rotter said firefighters removed windows and doors from neighboring homes on each side of the house that exploded to ventilate those homes. She said the neighboring homes’ residents were still displaced as of this afternoon, March 4.
Rotter said Rock Fire advises anyone who lives in the subdivision to call 911 if they smell gas.
The Antonia Fire Protection District assisted on the call. The Rock Township Ambulance District also responded to the home.
3:30 p.m. March 3 UPDATE: An Imperial home exploded on March 3 just more than an hour after five people were evacuated from the house due to a gas leak. No injuries were reported, Rock Community Fire Protection District spokeswoman Alyson Rotter said.
The explosion occurred at about 1:20 p.m. on White Haven Court, which is off Miller Road just south of Arnold. The home had been evacuated at about noon after Rock firefighters were called due to a gas leak outside of the house, Rotter said.
Spire released a statement that said the company was notified that a third-party excavator working for another utility hit a gas line in an Imperial subdivision.
“Once notified, we took immediate action and worked with the Rock Community Fire Protection District to evacuate nearby homes and stop the leak,” the statement said. “However, after the line was struck, gas migrated into a home and today’s incident occurred.”
Rotter said the home was destroyed by the explosion, and a house near the explosion was damaged by fire. She said the fire was contained but still burning as of about 2:40 p.m.
The Antonia Fire Protection District is assisting Rock Fire, and the Rock Township Ambulance District also is at the home.
ORIGINAL STORY: An Imperial home exploded today, March 3, just more than an hour after five people were evacuated from the house due to a gas leak. No injuries were reported, Rock Community Fire Protection District spokeswoman Alyson Rotter said.
The explosion occurred at about 1:20 p.m. on White Haven Court, which is off Miller Road just south of Arnold. The home had been evacuated at about noon after firefighters were called due to a gas leak outside of the house, Rotter said.
Rotter said Spire was notified about the leak, and a truck remained outside the home after the leak was detected.
Rotter said the home was destroyed by the explosion, and a house near the explosion was damaged by fire. She said the fire was contained but still burning as of about 2:40 p.m.
The Antonia Fire Protection District is assisting Rock Fire, and the Rock Township Ambulance District also responded.