I-Team: Gas explosions: "These things happen quite frequently."
FORT WORTH - While Monday's explosion at a downtown Fort Worth hotel is still under investigation, fire officials said it was likely caused by a gas leak.
Since 2010, according to data from the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), there have been 3,138 significant gas leaks incidents – 390 resulted in an explosion. These incidents have injured 725 and killed 163 people.
"Once you start paying attention, you start seeing these things happen quite frequently," said Abe Scarr, director of energy and utility for the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG).
Scarr said the aging infrastructure in cities across the country is partly to blame.
In 2018, gas leaks in northwest Dallas resulted in two home explosions, including one that killed a 12 year old girl. In weeks following those explosions, Atmos Energy replaced the old corroded gas lines in the neighborhood with new flexible plastic ones.
However, aging gas lines are not solely to blame.
According to federal data, corrosion and equipment failure account for 20% of major gas leaks, while 80% are the result of outside factors.
Outside factors were the cause of an explosion in downtown Dallas in 2017 when construction crews drilled into a gas line causing it to rupture. Outside factors were also the cause of an explosion in 2022 in Mansfield when a car hit a natural gas pipeline.
It remains unclear what caused Monday's explosion in downtown Fort Worth but what experts say is clear is these incidents are not a one-off.
"I think we will probably see a similar level of accidents into the future and they could increase if they don't take the threat seriously and respond appropriately," Scarr said.
Along with investing in updating the pipeline infrastructure, Scarr said a transition to clean energy in homes and businesses would reduce the risk of natural gas fires.
