Silver Spring Apartment Explosion Ruled Accidental, Severed Gas Line Cited
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Investigators believe an explosion that rocked a Silver Spring apartment building last week was an accident caused by a severed gas line, officials said Monday.
The investigation has determined that a maintenance worker was working to unclog a drain in one of the apartment's units when he inadvertently cut a gas pipe that was not clearly marked, Montgomery County Fire Chief Scott Goldstein said.
"This event is going to be classified as accidental," Chief Goldstein said, adding that investigators "have not and will not be able to conclude an exact source of ignition" given the abundance of possibilities.
The explosion happened about 10:30 a.m. Thursday at Friendly Garden Apartments, leveling one of the buildings and blanketing the nearby area with a mix of smoke and debris. At least 14 people were hospitalized.
Of those taken to the hospital, Goldstein said 12 have since been released. He said one person remains hospitalized in critical condition and another individual is being treated for an unrelated medical condition.
As of Monday, the chief said, authorities believe everyone who was present at the time of the blast has been accounted for. He said canines have not alerted around the debris field since Friday when a glove was recovered.
"We are confident and comfortable in saying that no one was in front of the building," Goldstein said.
Residents of three buildings at the complex have been allowed to return home, but three buildings including the one at the center of the blast, remain unsafe to occupy, the fire chief said.
He said authorities are working with displaced residents this week to let them back onto the premises so that they can retrieve critical belongings.
Recapping what investigators believe took place, Goldstein said a maintenance worker was unclogging a resident's drain when he cut a pipe that was not labeled as a gas pipe and then placed a cap on top of it.
The worker had gone back upstairs to Unit 101 when a "flash fire" broke out, injuring the resident, Goldstein said. He said the worker was helping the resident out of the building when the explosion occurred.
"Everybody needs to recognize that if they smell gas, do not turn on a light switch, immediately exit the structure," the chief said. "Call 911 immediately from outside...and do not go back in."
Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich said investigators' findings confirm what they suspected last week, that a cut gas pipe was the culprit.
"It wasn't a black gas pipe," Elrich said. "It was indistinguishable pretty much from the other pipes in there."
The county executive said officials are exploring making changes in response to the explosion, including requiring that pipes be clearly labeled inside all buildings with exposed piping.
"We can require that, we believe, and we're going to look to be doing that," he said.
Additionally, Elrich said officials are contemplating whether training needs to be in place for maintenance workers to make sure they can tell a gas pipe apart from other pipes.
Goldstein said the fire department, which remains in charge of the investigation, will be returning control of the premises to property management this week as the investigation wraps up.
An emergency shelter is open at White Oak Recreation Center for those displaced by the explosion, and a disaster assistance shelter is expected to open on Tuesday to help residents get their lives back on track.
Residents impacted by last week's explosion are encouraged to call 240-447-2693.