Jean Marbella, Matt Hubbard

Baltimore Sun

(TNS)

A federal investigation faulted BGE for an “ineffective response” to multiple calls about a suspected gas leak, which went unrepaired for more than ten hours and caused a house to explode in Bel Air two years ago, killing the homeowner and a utility contractor.

In a report released Wednesday, the National Transportation Safety Board determined that but for  “safety oversights” the Aug. 11, 2024, explosion at 2300 Arthurs Woods Drive would not have occurred.

The NTSB concluded that the probable cause of the explosion was BGE failing to repair the leak, which was caused by an electrical line in a common trench with a gas pipe, resulting in gas migrating to the home and igniting.

As The Baltimore Sun previously reported, a neighbor walking her dog and an electrical technician in the area both reported smelling gas the night before. Then, the morning of the explosion, another worker smelled gas and heard a hissing sound but could not get through to the call center operated by Exelon, BGE’s parent company, according to the NTSB.

A call center agent “told the NTSB that he had been drinking alcohol before his shift, which was an unscheduled overtime shift, and had fallen asleep at his desk,” the NTSB report said. “Exelon did not submit the accident call-center agent for post-accident drug and alcohol testing. Therefore, the NTSB could not quantify the extent of the call-center agent’s drug or alcohol impairment or determine whether it was a factor in the accident.”

The explosion leveled the home, killing homeowner Ray Corkran, 73, and a BGE contractor, Jose Rodriguez-Alvarado, 35, and damaged neighboring houses.

A BGE spokesman acknowledged Wednesday that company procedures weren’t followed.

“The NTSB’s final report identified a breakdown in how information about a suspected gas leak was communicated and acted upon across multiple functions of our organization,” said Nick Alexopulos, BGE senior manager of communication. “BGE had procedures in place intended to ensure suspected gas leaks were promptly escalated and investigated.

“In this case, those procedures were not followed as intended, resulting in missed opportunities to identify and address the hazard before the incident occurred,” he said.

Alexopulos said the call center employee who failed to answer the calls the morning of the incident has been terminated.

The NTSB also pointed to a shared utility trench line, which has been implicated in previous explosions.

“The explosion and fire occurred after natural gas leaked from a gas service-line pipe, migrated to the accident home, and ignited,” the report said. “The service-line pipe breached because the plastic pipe and its tracer wire were in a trench with electrical service lines that had faulted, which elevated temperatures near the service-line pipe and subsequently caused the pipe to melt and leak gas.”

NTSB said it could not determine how closely the gas service-line pipe and the electrical service lines were located at the leak site because of the damage. But an excavation showed that the two service lines were located from 3 inches to 15 inches apart at various points, meaning there were some areas where there was less than the recommended 12 inches of separation, NTSB said.

Alexopulos said external forces may have contributed to the conditions that led to the explosion — the home’s driveway had been previously modified, from asphalt to a paving stone material, which is highly permeable and could have allowed more water to flow into the soil below. That, he said, could cause erosion, create voids and increase overall conductivity.

“Modification of the property’s driveway could be a causative factor,” he said, “according to BGE’s analysis and analysis by outside experts.”

The report noted that after the fatal explosion, BGE updated its call center. But it said operators such as Exelon with “multiple subsidiaries and utilities … must identify areas where two or more departments or utilities overlap and then prescribe specific procedures to govern how such departments need to work together to ensure public safety.”

The Bel Air explosion, the NTSB said, “demonstrates the importance of an effective and coordinated response to reports of suspected natural gas leaks.”

The NTSB also said because of the hazard posed by common trenches or gas and electric lines in proximity, utility companies need to make sure “adequate separation is maintained.”

Alexopopulos said BGE appreciates the NTSB’s “thorough” review.

“Our hearts remain with the family, loved ones, and all those impacted by the tragic explosion in Bel Air on August 11, 2024,” he said. “Safety is our highest responsibility.”

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