BEL AIR, Md. — In the moments leading up to the explosion on Arthur Woods Drive in Bel Air, Dave Hughes had just sat down with a cup of coffee half a block away.
“I heard this tremendous explosion unlike I’ve ever heard in my life,” said Hughes, “I actually thought that maybe a jet airliner had crashed in our neighborhood.”
The force of the blast knocked Hughes’ front door off its hinges and blew out his garage doors.
“I looked out and I immediately heard somebody yelling for help so I ran out of my back door, because I couldn’t get out the front,” recounted Hughes, “I ran out and I saw one of the BGE contractors was advising that he couldn’t find his partner, his friend. Very tragic and sad.”
Investigators have now identified the dead as 73-year-old Ray Corkran, Junior, the homeowner, and 35-year-old Jose Rodriguez-Alvarado, a BGE contractor.
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Neither were aware gas had been detected.
The utility workers had shown up, because of an electrical fault at the same address detected by BGE’s system.
In spite of reports that people living in the area smelled gas prior to the explosion, investigators tell us they have no record of that.
“No 911 calls were actually made to the fire department sending fire department personnel out here,” said Master Deputy State Fire Marshal Oliver Alkire, “The very first 911 call that was made was around 6:30 to 6:40 time frame. That was done actually by a Miss Utility worker that was coming out here to mark the lines.”
It appears the county utilities worker did not encounter the BGE crew to warn them before one of them got out of their van and walked directly into harm’s way.
