JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. — Investigators have released the official cause of the home explosion that rocked Jeffersonville earlier this week.
Preliminary investigations show an increase in natural gas entered the home for approximately 12 hours leading up to the explosion. An unknown source ignited the gas, causing the explosion around 4:54 a.m.
Vectren said the source of the natural gas involved in the incident appears to have been inside the home and not on Vectren owned infrastructure.
Natalie Hedde, a Vectren spokesperson, said the homeowners had not contacted Vectren about a leak prior to the explosion and the last time Vectren was at the home for an issue was in 2015.
Meanwhile, Vectren crews were in the neighborhood on Tuesday after a complaint of a gas leak a quarter mile down the road.
"There was just a very tiny leak in it, he said it was nothing that could have caused an explosion like what happened down the street," said Erin Harper, who is renovating the house to sell it.
Harper said she smelled the gas the morning of the explosion and called immediately. She said Vectren crews showed up that day and came back Tuesday for a check-up.
"It was just a tiny little leak and just so happened to be at the exact same time and had nothing to do with the explosion whatsoever," she explained.
Among the investigators in this case are Jeffersonville Police, Jeffersonville Fire, Indiana State Police, and Vectren. They met behind closed doors to discuss findings in the ongoing investigation on May 21, releasing the statement on the explosion hours later.
The explosion killed one man, William Phillips, who lived in the home. His wife, Janet Phillips, was injured and is recovering in the hospital. Both were in the home when the explosion occurred. Two others were injured but were not inside the home.
Vectren released the following statement:
"Vectren, A CenterPoint Energy Company, wishes to extend its deepest sympathy to the families of those affected by Sunday morning’s incident. We would like to thank the first responders and community agencies for their service and support, including the Jeffersonville Fire Department, Jeffersonville Police Department and American Red Cross.
After being notified early Sunday morning, we activated our emergency response plan. Vectren crews immediately responded to the scene and made the area safe by turning off natural gas service to neighboring homes and evacuating the area. While the investigation is ongoing, it has now been determined the cause was natural gas. However, the source of the natural gas involved in the incident appears to have been in the interior of the home, not on pipeline or infrastructure owned by Vectren.
We will continue to work closely with all parties to ensure all facts and inputs needed to inform the investigation are provided. We will also continue to work closely with the Jeffersonville Fire Department and Jeffersonville Police Department as their investigation continues. We are assisting the American Red Cross as it coordinates shelter for those who are unable to return to their homes due to damage.
Vectren is committed to the safety of our customers, employees, contractors, systems and communities. Our goal is to deliver natural gas and electricity safely to the communities we serve. As a reminder to all Vectren customers, if you smell natural gas or suspect a natural gas leak, please call us directly at 1-800227-1376 or call emergency response at 911."
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