Montco Home Explosion Doesn't Appear To Be Caused By Natural Gas: PECO

POTTSTOWN, PA — The house explosion in Pottstown Borough last week does not appear to have been caused by natural gas, at least that is what PECO is stating at this point in their investigation.

The public utility says that while speculation continues about the possible cause of the house explosion, "our investigation continues, and to date, we have not found evidence that PECO's natural gas caused this incident."

"To be clear, the investigations are ongoing, and we have not been advised of any final determinations by investigating authorities," PECO said in a statement released on Wednesday. "We will continue to offer our full support as the investigation continues.

Four children — ages 8 to 13 — and their 67-year-old grandmother died in the May 26 explosion along the 400 block of Hale Street.

The two parents were seriously injured in the blast and remain hospitalized in critical condition.

Patch reported on Tuesday that the family had relocated to western Montgomery County from Philadelphia in order to escape the issues plaguing the city.

Related: Family At Center Of Montco House Explosion Had Sought Better Life

PECO said in its Wednesday statement that utility workers have continued to provide onsite support to the Pottstown Fire Department, Pottstown Police Department, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission and other state and federal agencies in their ongoing investigations.

"Our hearts go out to the families and communities affected by this tragic event," PECO stated.

Since the deadly explosion, PECO says it has supported the investigations in various capacities, such as excavating its nearby facilities, pressure testing the natural gas main, inspecting the main and service lines with cameras, testing and retiring infrastructure, and analyzing call logs.

PECO reiterated that the home in question was not serviced by natural gas, but that there are natural gas mains in the vicinity of the property.

"PECO manages more than 13,000 miles of natural gas transmission, distribution and services lines and follows all industry standards as part of our efforts to ensure safe and reliable service," PECO said in its statement. "We adhere to a series of processes and procedures associated with the inspection and maintenance of our natural gas infrastructure to ensure our system is operating safely and reliably, that meet or exceed the requirements of state and federal codes."

There have since been two different GoFundMe pages started to benefit the family of the deceased.

Links to those fundraisers can be found here and here.

Editor's Note: This is an ongoing story. Patch will continue to bring you the latest on the investigation into the deadly house explosion in Pottstown.