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AMERICAN FORK — Natural gas that filled a home while work was being completed on an outside line caused an American Fork duplex to explode in March, killing an elderly woman inside.
But while the final investigative report into the explosion concludes it was "unintentional or accidental" and does not implicate any individual for being responsible, it also notes "the home explosion could have been prevented with proper awareness."
On March 20, an explosion at a duplex at 67 N. 370 East in American Fork resulted in the death of 78-year-old Kathy Harrison, who was found on a bed under a pile of debris.
Employees with Dominion Energy and a subcontractor had been at the duplex the day before working on the natural gas system on the exterior of the home, according to the final report released Monday by American Fork Fire Marshal Mat Sacco.
"The type of work completed was considered regular system maintenance and is typically completed without customer contact," Dominion Energy told investigators, according to the report.
A subcontractor "had only been working alone on natural gas systems for approximately a week-and-a-half" and "had only worked on single meter sets. This was his first two-meter set service," and he was doing what is known as a "hot change" or "hot gas," allowing "work to take place without interruption of natural gas service." Because the subcontractor had questions, Dominion Energy employees were called to assist.
When the work was completed, "the exterior in-line valve located on the accessory natural gas line was opened by one of the individuals conducting service on the system that day," the report states.
After it was opened, the gas meter recorded "a significant increase in usage" and "consistently elevated natural gas usage begins at or around the time Dominion Energy employees finished work on the noted system; and ends at or near the time the home explosion occurred prior to 6 a.m.," according to the report. "Damage to the furnace indicates the furnace ignition mechanism was the source of the ignition of the flammable gas concentrations."
However, the investigation also noted that "the accessory valve and piping were not considered Dominion Energy equipment. This was stated multiple times during the investigation. The accessory pipe installation was completed by someone other than Dominion Energy, with no documentation available for review from American Fork.
"Since maintenance of the accessory line was not the responsibility of Dominion Energy, and Dominion employees did not service that portion of the line, the accessory valve should not have been touched by those conducting system service on behalf of Dominion Energy. … The accessory line should have been left in the closed position until the line was inspected for leaks or openings," the report continues.
The report concludes that the explosion could have been prevented, in part, by "providing system testing requirements following work done on fuel gas systems."
"Since it is unknown when the accessory line was installed or disconnected inside the home, it is also unknown who left the line open. If leak testing had been conducted as noted, the open line could have been discovered and capped," the report states.
Shirley Hunt, 82, who lived in the other side of the duplex and miraculously survived the explosion, released a statement through her counsel, Christopher Cheney, stating that "While Ms. Hunt is relieved to finally have answers, she is deeply saddened to learn of the preventable nature of this event. She believes that this American Fork report, coupled with other recent incidents and tragedies involving natural gas in Utah, should serve as reminders to public utilities of the dire consequences that result from cutting corners or failing to follow proper procedures."
