Firefighters from the Warren Township Fire Department in Indianapolis, Indiana recently battled two house fires on consecutive B shifts. The fires were similar in one regard, that is that they both had leaking or ruptured gas lines fueling the fire.
The first fire occured on Monday, February 21, 2005. A back porch area and the back of this residence were fully involved upon arrival. In addition to the gas line rupture, electrical wires were draped across a metal roof covering the porch in the back. The lines were arcing violently and loudly.
The initial dispatch to the fire came out as a double residence with fireworks going off inside. No one was injured in the house, the home owner had left for the three-day weekend and not returned.
The investigation revealed pour patterns consistent with an accelerant on the porch. The case has now been turned over to the Marion County Sheriff's department.
The second fire occured just two days later, on the 23rd, and came out just as firefighters had completed a post incident analysis on the previous fire.
This time, the driver of a large SUV lost control if his vehicle and hit one home, careening off and plowing through the garage of another. The crash and destruction of the gas meter caused the home and the vehicle to erupt into flames.
Again, firefighters were able to douse all the fire, with the exception of the ignited natural gas. The driver was taken to a nearby hospital and fortunately there was no one home in either house at the time of the accident.
