At 2:29 a.m. on December 17, 2013, one side (unit 80) of a two-story duplex at a public housing project in Birmingham, Alabama, exploded when natural gas in the apartment ignited. The explosion and fire destroyed unit 80 and heavily damaged the adjoining apartment (unit 79). The explosion also damaged several adjacent homes at the Charles P. Marks Village, operated by the Housing Authority of the Birmingham District.
At least three unit 80 residents were sleeping in upstairs bedrooms and were blown out
of the apartment; two received non-life-threatening injuries. Two adults sleeping in a downstairs
bedroom were crushed when the second floor collapsed. One died at the scene, and the other was
critically injured.
We determined that the probable cause of the accident was the release of natural gas through a large crack in the 62-year-old, cast iron gas main that resulted when tree growth cracked the corroded pipe. Once the accumulating gas reached the explosive limit inside the apartment, an active pilot light on an appliance ignited the gas. Contributing to the accident was the absence of the odorant, which was absorbed by the soil and prevented residents from smelling the gas.
