BGE contractor killed in Bel Air house explosion laid to rest, investigation ongoing
BALTIMORE -- Loved ones held funeral services Sunday in Prince George's County for 36-year-old Jose Rodriguez-Alvarado, the BGE contractor who died while on the job when a house exploded in Harford County on August 11.
The explosion one week ago shook homes blocks from the blast scene on Arthurs Woods Drive in Bel Air and left a community searching for answers. Video obtained by WJZ shows how the explosion felt in the community.
Rodriguez-Alvarado's family laid him to rest at Mt. Rainier Christian Church. They shared several pictures online.
Loved ones said he was a dedicated husband and father.
Rodriguez-Alvarado lived in Columbia in Howard County.
"You're going along with your life, a guy just doing his job outside, a gentleman inside going along, and suddenly everything is gone in a flash," County Executive Bob Cassilly told WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren. "It's really sad to see."
Rodriguez-Alvarado's family started an online fundraiser to send his body to his native El Salvador.
Fixing the damage
Jude, who works for Paul Davis Restoration, which has been on the scene fixing the damaged homes, reflected on the disaster.
"It's really tragic, and I can't even express it myself because losing life is, that's unbearable," he said.
Some of the damage could take a year or more to fix.
"Some of the roofs got lifted up for a while and then went down back again, so in most cases, the houses two blocks away have foundation damage," he said.
Cassilly acknowledged getting back to normal could take a long time.
"We're going to continue to work with the homeowners and make sure they know the progress here, but the big thing now is they are working with their own homeowners' insurance to begin the process," Cassilly said. "Do you fix your house and it's done or will it be a tear-down and start over? So those are some of the big decisions being made right now."
Warning signs
Questions persist about why Rodriguez-Alvarado was sent to the home to fix an electrical issue after neighbors reported to the utility they smelled a strong odor of gas almost eleven hours beforehand.
Carline Fisher called BGE and then said she met with a person BGE dispatched to the scene— all the night before.
"I was in disbelief because I thought, 'What in the world happened from the time that I made the call to the time the truck came out to the explosion?' I thought oh my god, was this continuing?" Fisher told Hellgren Friday. "We've all been coming together to make sense of this and get some answers and make sure everybody is in the know."
Remembering Ray Corkran Jr.
The other victim was 73-year-old homeowner Ray Corkran Jr.
He was a fixture in the neighborhood who had just put his property up for sale. Neighbors remembered his friendly presence and the dog he used to take on walks in the community.
"To see someone who's been part of your community for over ten years, a wonderful person, it's very heartbreaking. It's devastating," Fisher said. "This is a sensitive time for everyone, and I just ask people who come in try to be respectful. Someone lost their life who was a good father and person and citizen, and it shouldn't be treated as a spectacle."
State and federal investigations
BGE is not commenting and is referring questions to the National Transportation Safety Board. The federal agency is conducting its own investigation.
The Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office Is conducting a parallel investigation and finished removing evidence from the scene last week. The office told WJZ they believe the explosion was accidental and started from an outside gas leak.
"They're very confident the gas migrated from the exterior of the house into the interior. We are going to focus our investigation on that and what sparked the explosion," said Oliver Alkire, from the Maryland Fire Marshal's Office.