Investigators Determine Cause

Town Of Ellery Digging Triggered Gas Leak; No Charges To Be Filed

By Robert Rizzuto rrizzuto@post-journal.com
Although the explosion which destroyed a home in Bemus Point on Monday was ruled accidental, town of Ellery workers may have triggered the event, according to Randy Boland, an investigator with the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Fire Investigation Unit.

‘‘They (Town of Ellery) definitely struck a gas line, then it separated from the curb stop, causing the gas leak,’’ Boland said. ‘‘The soil conditions in the area are mostly gravel, and the gas pushed through the path of least resistance through the soil into the basement. It probably ignited from either the furnace or water heater.’’

State troopers also had an open investigation into the explosion, but a spokesperson said no charges will be filed because the incident isn’t believed to be a criminal act. National Fuel disconnected gas service to much of the village following the explosion, and according to Julie Coppola Cox, a spokesperson for the company, service has been restored to all but 18 houses in the village.

‘‘Many of the homes are seasonal, so we put door hangers up for the owners to call us for service when they get in,’’ she said. ‘‘We’re going to continue to have a presence in the area this weekend as we expect many people to return for Memorial Day weekend.’’

She explained that the company’s procedure is to make contact, turn service back on and then enter the home to make sure all pilot lights are correctly lit. Ms. Coppola also said a service call was coincidentally scheduled at the home Monday to replace a piece of pipe on the service line.

‘‘A service person had noticed some corrosion on the rise, (which connects the service line to the meter) and made contact with the customer,’’ she said. ‘‘It was odd timing, but we’re thankful that our workers weren’t there when it all happened.’’

She said that after an investigation of the pipe in question, it was determined that it was intact and the separation of the service line running to the house from the main gas line on the street was the cause of the explosion.

‘‘The loss of a residence is terrible, but at least there wasn’t any loss of life,’’ she said. ‘‘That would be catastrophic.’’

According to a local real estate group which rents out the house, it was a fully furnished, five-bedroom home which was rented weekly. Its owners live in Hamburg.

Just before 10 a.m Monday, neighbors and village residents reported either hearing a loud noise or feeling the tremors from the blast. After the explosion, Greg Hallberg, town highway superintendent, confirmed that he had three equipment operators in the area, digging to install new pipes and catch basins on Liberty Street.

Hallberg said one worker was treated for minor injuries on the scene and another was taken to WCA Hospital, where he was treated and released.

Two neighboring homes and one vehicle were damaged from the explosion and fire that followed, according to a Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Department report. Bryan Dahlberg, Bemus Point mayor, said he was thankful that further injuries weren’t sustained and that the collateral damage was limited.

‘‘The fire departments did a great job containing the fire,’’ he said, ‘‘considering there are so many other homes close by.’’

Calls to the homeowners were not returned as of press time Tuesday.