Man's Home Explodes as He's Driving Away after Suspecting Gas Leak

By Mary Mitchell

Published on September 13, 2006

Harris, a night shift worker, had been alone in the house before the blast, sleeping. He woke up earlier than planned, and later noted that this saved his life. When he left his bedroom, he noted a strong smell of natural gas in both his house and the area outside. He approached a crew replacing underground cable nearby for the utility company AmerenUE. A spokeswoman for AmerenUE later acknowledged that these workers cut a gas line that day — as they'd also done the previous week, according to Harris and his neighbors.

Harris told the workers about the gas smell, and they said that a crew from Laclede Gas Co. was on its way to deal with the problem. Harris decided that it was best to leave the area immediately. He took the family dog with him in his truck, and had driven about 100 feet when the house exploded. Pieces of his home and possessions littered the area for blocks around. Neighbors offered help; a stranger handed Harris $100. Local firefighters extinguished the fire that was consuming what was left of the house, and Harris said that he and his wife and daughter would be staying at a hotel that night.

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