Silver Spring Gas Explosion Leaves 100 People Homeless and 14 Injured

An explosion at the Friendly Garden Apartments complex on Thursday, March 3 is still under investigation by the Montgomery County Fire Department and county police, with assistance from federal authorities. Investigators did find a cut gas line, but there was a plumber working on the building at the time of the explosion, so authorities are unsure if he was the one who cut the line or not.

Three of the six buildings in the complex were affected, and one was entirely destroyed. According to multiple news reports, 14 people were hospitalized with injuries, including the plumber. Two of the victims were children.

Every single resident of the building has been accounted for, though Human Remains Detection Dogs (sometimes called “cadaver dogs”) did alert authorities to a specific spot in the rubble which may or may not have contained the remains of a visitor or non-resident. No news has been released about this yet.

We are heartened by the fact that no deaths have been reported yet, and that this does not look like foul play. We are also glad to hear that the service regulators in the Friendly Garden Apartments are not the same kind as those that led to the deadly explosion at the Flower Branch apartments in 2016. According to WTOP, the building underwent an inspection in February and was deemed up to code for fire safety.

How common are residential gas explosions?

Serious residential gas explosions, like the one that happened last Thursday, are relatively rare. According to The Atlantic, “From 1998 to 2017, 15 people a year, on average, died in incidents related to gas distribution in the U.S. ‘Significant incidents’– those that do things such as cause an injury or death, result in at least $50,000 of damage, or lead to a fire or explosion– happen about 286 times a year.”

Just because something does not happen often, however, does not mean it cannot cause devastating injuries. Part of what makes Thursday’s incident so extraordinary is that only 14 people out of hundreds who live in and near that building were injured, and not a single resident has died.

Why Baltimore residents should be concerned about gas leaks

A gas explosion is the result of gas – like natural gas, propane, or methane – igniting. The old movie trope of a hero turning on all the burners on a stove and then flicking a lighter is accurate; that action can cause a residential or commercial gas explosion.

The most common cause of gas explosions is a gas leak, and gas leaks are very common. One gas company explains why:

Natural gas is delivered to homes and businesses across the country through long-distance, high pressure pipelines. These lines are separated by a valve into lower-pressure pipelines that connect to buildings.

While local gas pipelines are designed to withstand two-to-three-times their usual operating pressure, once this limit is reached, there is a much higher likelihood of gas escaping and leading to an explosion….

When excess pressure is to blame, it’s common for the cause to be a failure at the valve that separates the high pressure and lower-pressure pipelines. It could be from a leak or a break—which is especially common in cities with older pipelines.

Baltimore in particular has cause for concern here. Per the Baltimore Sun, “[Gas] leaks are so frequent that nearly two dozen of them are discovered each day, on average, according to data the Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. reports to federal authorities.” In 2019, there were about 680,000 Baltimore residents who used natural gas for cooking and heating. By September of that same year, Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE) found 8,609 gas leaks in Baltimore, and 4,369 of them were deemed hazardous* in some way.

What should you do if you think you have a gas leak?

If you believe there is a gas leak in your home, your place of business, or at any property, you should exit the building immediately and call your local gas company right away to report it. Maryland has multiple utilities which supply natural gas to residents and business owners; these are the primary ones:

Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE): 877-778-7798

Columbia Gas of Maryland: 888-460-4332

Washington Gas: 844-927-4427

All three companies recommend that you stand at least 10 feet away from the building and call 9-1-1 in the event of an emergency.

Who is liable for a gas explosion in Maryland?

If you sustain injuries or losses in a gas explosion in Maryland, there could be multiple liable parties, depending on the circumstances. For example, if there is a construction crew doing excavation work and the crew hits a gas line, leading to an explosion, then the construction company may be liable. Workers who are injured should be able to collect workers’ compensation, but may need to file a personal injury lawsuit if they are ineligible for workers’ comp.

If the explosion was the result of leaking, broken pipes, the utility may be liable for your losses. Lawsuits involving public utilities are handled differently, and have different steps and statutes of limitations. You will want to contact an attorney as soon as possible to ensure you are not time-barred from recovering.

If you suffered injuries because a defective appliance caused a spark, or because a defective generator or propane tank exploded, then the manufacturer may be liable. You would need to file a product liability claim against the manufacturer and/or retailer.

In most cases, you should be able to make a claim for damages for your medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering, along with any property damage you sustained. If your loved one dies in a residential gas explosion, we can help you with a wrongful death lawsuit to recoup these damages, as well as funeral and burial expenses. You should not have to pay when someone else’s negligence led to the untimely death of your family member.

All of us at Plaxen Adler Muncy, P.A. are praying for a swift recovery for all the injury victims, and hoping that reconstruction will begin soon, so that those who have been displaced can go home. If you are seeking legal counsel, we want to help. Please call our Maryland injury attorneys at 410-730-7737 or fill out our contact form. We have multiple offices throughout Maryland for your convenience.