Massive Gas Explosion Destroys Six Townhouses in Columbia, Maryland, USA

Six townhouses in Maryland have been wrecked by a suspected gas explosion which triggered a large fire.

 

Maria Hogg, of the Howard County Fire Department, said the blast was so powerful workers were pulling debris from nearby trees in Columbia.

 

Fire officials said a gas worker who was investigating a reported leak was injured, and a second person was treated for smoke inhalation.

 

Baltimore Gas and Electric spokeswoman Rhea Marshall said the worker was sent to the house after reports of a gas leak.

 

The blast is estimated to have caused $2m of damage.

 

Paul Treffinger, whose house escaped damage, told The Baltimore Sun: “If those people would have been in the house, there is no way they would have survived the explosion, there’s absolutely no way.

 

“It’s scary, because it could happen to any of us.”

 

Lew Kaiser saw the explosion on Wednesday night. He returned to the scene to recover items from his car.

 

He told the newspaper: “It was horrifying because it was a huge explosion, so it rocked the entire neighbourhood.

 

“There were doors [across the street] that opened. It was something that was almost not describable because I’ve never been in a situation like that.”

 

One house was destroyed, while both neighbouring properties were extensively damaged. Three others have been deemed uninhabitable.

Courtesy of Sky News

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