Neighbor reports strong gas odor to BGE hours before deadly Bel Air house explosion
BALTIMORE -- A neighbor told WJZ she notified BGE of a strong gas odor the day before a deadly explosion in Bel Air, and she stressed it is important to her and the community to know what caused it.
"It's not just for myself, it's for anyone who lives in a household, anyone who is walking down the street in terms of human life," Fisher told WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren. "This community, they owe it to us. We need to know what happened because people are scared."
Strong Odor of Gas
Fisher, who lives around the corner from the epicenter of the blast, knew something was wrong as she went on a walk around 8 p.m. Saturday.
"When I left, I walked out through the garage, I just smelled gas. It smelled like gas, and I was unsure, but I noticed it immediately," she said.
Her neighbor smelled it too.
"She said, 'Carline, do you smell gas?' And I said, 'Yes, I smell gas,' and I said I'll call BGE. So, I called BGE. I spoke to somebody. I told them exactly what I'm telling you. The times, the coordinates in the development," Fisher told WJZ. "Within half an hour, the BGE truck was there indeed."
She talked to the responding BGE employee. Another neighbor saw a second BGE vehicle arrive, and they were there around 10 p.m.
Just before 7 a.m. Sunday, tragedy struck when her neighbor's home exploded because of an outside gas leak. It killed him and a BGE contractor who fire investigators say was responding to a separate electrical issue.
Fire investigators believe it was accidental.
The Explosion
"I'm in the bathroom getting ready to go out, and I hear a huge explosion, a huge boom sound that was just so devastating that it rattled me, and the house was shaking," Fisher said. "I definitely connected the dots and thought what in the world happened between that time and the gas explosion in that house."
She at first thought it may have been a plane crash. Fisher could barely believe her eyes when she walked toward the damage.
"We saw the house in pieces—just to smithereens, not a frame left," she said.
BGE Response
BGE declined to answer questions Friday and referred WJZ to the National Transportation Safety Board.
Fisher does not regret taking action, despite the tragic outcome.
"I am so glad I called. I could have been, 'Well, someone else will call.' But I'm glad that I did. If you see something, say something. Trust your gut. Trust your instincts," she told Hellgren.
Heartbreak in the Community
Her heart goes out to the loved ones of those who died, 73-year-old homeowner Ray Corkran Junior and 35-year-old BGE contractor Jose Rodriguez-Alvarado.
"It's very heartbreaking. It's devastating. It's just sad. It's just the loss of human life," Fisher said. "We're just really sickened by it."
Several investigations are still underway, including federal and state probes into the tragedy.
Some homes remain uninhabitable.
