Carrollton house explosion caused by gas leaking into sewer line, investigators say
CARROLLTON-Gas leaking into a sewage line caused the explosion at a home in Carrolton Saturday morning that injured one person.
Carrollton Fire Chief Michael Thompson told CBS Texas the leak was the only one he knew that crews with Atmos Energy had found.
The explosion happened just before 4 a.m. Saturday morning in the 1800 block of Highland Drive. Carrollton Fire and Rescue responded, quickly putting out the fire as crews took one person to the hospital, whose condition remains unknown.
Construction crews were working into the night again Monday, with lights and equipment spread out along a nearly quarter-mile-long alley behind the home near Belt Line Rd. and Jose Lane.
An inspector from the Texas Railroad Commission, which the agency said was part of its ongoing investigation into the incident, was also at the site.
Experts said that gas leaking into sewer lines is a known hazard. The natural gas industry often warns homeowners and plumbers about the possibility that gas lines get installed by mistake through existing utility lines. Experts call it a cross bore.
That cross bore could unintentionally become dangerous for someone cleaning a blocked sewage pipe. They could cut a line unknowingly, leading to the leak.
In 2015, several homes were damaged in Waxahachie when a contractor installed a fiber optic line and cut through gas and sewer lines in a neighborhood.