Columbia Gas agrees to pay $1M civil penalty for 2019 house explosion

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Columbia Gas has agreed to pay nearly $1 million in civil penalties for a home explosion that occurred in 2019 in Washington County.

A home along Park Lane in North Franklin Township was reduced to rubble in July 2019.

At least five people were hurt and several neighboring homes were damaged.

The Observer-Reporter says that the $990,000 deal was agreed upon as the company acknowledged mistakes in how it went about the process of installing new natural gas pipelines in the area while not properly regulating the flow to the home. 

This mistake led to the home filling with gas and then exploding.