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One person was killed and two others were injured in the April 9
explosion in the 4,500-person town of Lexington, Missouri, which
is about 55 miles (88.51 kilometers) west of downtown Kansas
City.
Liberty Utilities, a subsidiary of Algonquin Power and Utilities
Corporation, sent someone out to mark its lines before the
subcontractor began digging, but the uncapped gas main section
involved in the accident wasn't identified, the NTSB said in its
preliminary report.
A few hours before the explosion, the subcontractor felt their
drill strike something and smelled odorized natural gas. The
crew supervisor then called 911.
Firefighters and a crew with Liberty Utilities arrived and
worked to stop the flow of gas. One business about 15 feet (4.57
meters) from the leak was evacuated. But several other nearby
buildings were not evacuated, including the destroyed and
damaged homes, which ranged from 80 feet to 160 feet (18.29
meters to 24.38 meters) from the leak, the NTSB said.
The NTSB said it continues to investigate the evacuation
procedures and Liberty Utilities’ repair history, record keeping
and emergency response. Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp. didn't
immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press
seeking information.
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