BALTIMORE — Baltimore City officials on Tuesday said a stove was the source that ignited a deadly gas explosion last August on Labyrinth Road.
Fire Chief Niles Ford said there was a large buildup of natural gas inside 4232 Labyrinth, and that when the stove was turned on, it created the blast.
BGE was able to still conduct a meter reading on the home following the incident, and reportedly found a spike in natural gas sometime between 1:30 and 2 in the morning on August 10, the day of the explosion.
Investigators learned that a licensed contractor had been working on the home's HVAC system the day before.
An investigative report obtained by WMAR-2 News, couldn't rule out that the work potentially caused an initial leak which may have led to natural gas building up.
Investigators also didn't rule out the possibility of someone creating a leak by tampering with the gas piping.
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So far, Ford says the city's been unable to find any permits that were filed before the work was done.
The explosion claimed the life of 61-year-old Lonnie Herriott and 20-year-old Joseph Graham and injured seven others.
Three homes completely collapsed as result with another 200 or so damaged, causing many residents to become displaced.
BGE released a statement on the city's findings, again standing by an initial assessment that all their equipment had been operating safely at the time of the incident.
"Equipment beyond the meter – including natural gas appliances – are the responsibility of the customer," said BGE. "This incident is a very tragic reminder of the importance of natural gas safety. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families who lost loved ones and others affected by this incident."
