What Caused A House To Explode That Claimed The Life Of 76-Year-Old Crestwood Man?

CRESTWOOD, IL — An investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board has revealed the cause of a house explosion last month in Crestwood was caused by a natural gas leak. The explosion and fire destroyed a single-family home, damaged neighboring homes and claimed the life of the 76-year-old homeowner.

Around 2 p.m., June 12, nearby neighbors said they heard a loud boom and felt their homes shake. The Crestwood Fire Department responded to the explosion and fire at a home in the 14100 block of South Kenneth Court around 2:16 p.m.

Nicor Gas arrived on the scene about 2:40 p.m. and disconnected and capped the service line about 4:44 p.m. The next day, Nicor Gas performed a pressure test of the service line. According to the NTSB report, the service line did not hold pressure, indicating a leak.

“Nicor Gas’ distribution system included a 1.25-inch diameter steel main running along the front of the accident home and a 0.5-inch diameter polyethylene service line running from the main to the accident home. [2] The main was installed in 1988 and the service line in 1992. The distribution system was operating about 25 pounds per square inch gauge at the time of the explosion,” the report said.

After NTSB investigators arrived on the scene, Nicor performed additional flow tests on the service line to estimate the size of the leak. Nicor confirmed the presence of gas in the ground near the foundation of the home.

While on scene, NTSB investigators examined the accident site and reviewed the Kenneth home’s gas consumption data over the past year, which was higher than the neighboring residences. Federal officials also requested documentation and logs from Nicor and the Crestwood Fire Department, as well as conducted interviews.

A section of the service line containing the leak was also secured for examination at NTSB lab
in Washington, DC.

The homeowner’s neighbor told WGN-TV that the man had lived in the home for about 25 years and had been living there by himself in recent years, after losing his wife about two years ago.