Overview
- Investigators concluded that a gas leak caused the house explosion that killed three residents and collapsed the building.
- They say the buried gas service was laid in 1958 and was likely damaged during garage construction in 1960, creating a fault in the protective layer and probably the pipe.
- Over decades corrosion produced a slow, undetected leak that migrated through soil and structural gaps toward the property.
- A recent frost changed how the gas dispersed so it pooled in the garage and cellar and concentrated near the home's gas boiler, where it ignited.
- Prosecutors report no signs of third-party culpability, no evidence the leak was found and left unrepaired, and note the original installations met the standards in force at the time while investigations continue.