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Natural gas blamed in house explosion

Natural gas blamed in house explosion

As the state police fire marshal tells it, John Semple's home in Washington County exploded with the flip of a switch Tuesday.

Darrell Sapp, Post-Gazette
Columbia Gas officials walk through the rubble of the house in Canonsburg that was leveled by an explosion yesterday.

Trooper R. Eric Graham said natural gas escaped from a distribution line and followed a sewer line into the two-story frame house at 728 Highland Ave. in Canonsburg. Graham said Semple, 49, flipped a light switch and triggered the explosion that leveled the home shortly before 5 p.m.

Rob Boulware, spokesman for Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania, said the utility company was conducting its own investigation and had not determined the cause of the explosion. He said that did not necessarily mean the gas company was disputing the report Graham issued yesterday.

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Canonsburg Mayor Anthony L. Colaizzo said Semple, upgraded to serious condition yesterday at Mercy Hospital, was standing on the second floor when the explosion occurred. He fell to the basement, where two neighbors freed him from a pile of debris and pulled him to safety.

Colaizzo said the debris, described by the mayor and others as cabinets, drywall and carpeting, may have helped to shield Semple as fire ripped through the home.

The explosion came hours after Columbia Gas workers had arrived in the East End neighborhood to investigate a report of natural gas fumes.

Boulware said workers found damage to a distribution line that carries gas into the Highland Avenue area. He said he did not know how the line was damaged, but Colaizzo said he believed it was caused by a mudslide during recent heavy rains.

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Boulware said gas company workers Tuesday morning asked residents in a number of homes, including the Semple home, to leave. He said it was unclear whether homeowners had been given permission to return home by the time the explosion occurred.

Colaizzo said Semple lived with his father, who may have left the home Tuesday morning at the gas company's request. He said the younger Semple may have stopped at the house after work to retrieve items.

Colaizzo said harsh temperatures could have contributed to the accident. Had the ground not been frozen, he said, the gas may have escaped into the air instead of traveling into the sewer line and house.

Boulware said 22 homes began Wednesday without gas service. He didn't know how many had service restored during the day. He said workers detected gas in the air at two homes and would not restore service to those households until further monitoring was completed.

First Published: January 8, 2004, 5:00 a.m.

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