OR – KOIN – An apparent natural gas explosion heavily damaged a home and injured two people Monday night.
Northwest Natural says a person living in Kim White’s Tigard home near Bull Mountain called them shortly before five p.m. to report possible damage to a pipeline. The caller said there was a smell of natural gas in the area.
When Northwest Natural crews showed up to investigate, the garage door exploded. Flames engulfed the home, and two of the workers received first-degree burns to their hands and arms.
As firefighters battled the blaze, another Northwest Natural crew moved in to cut off the gas supplies to seven nearby houses. The fire crews worked to keep the blaze from spreading to a neighboring home.
Although the two utility workers were injured, the two adults and two children who lived in the home managed to escape unharmed. The Red Cross is providing emergency shelter for them.