The Aug. 10 explosion in Northwest Baltimore that killed two people, injured seven and reduced three rowhomes to rubble was due to a “large natural gas buildup” ignited by a stove, city officials said Tuesday morning.
“Based on the investigation and evidence, it appears as though a stove was turned on, which provided the ignition source” at 4232 Labyrinth Rd, Fire Chief Niles Ford said.
He said a licensed contractor did HVAC work at the address the day before the explosion, but investigators did not find proper permits for their work. “We weren't able to receive extensive particular information on all the repairs that were done,” Ford said. He declined to name the contractor.
Ford also said that investigators were able to identify four gas meters associated with the address. Baltimore Gas and Electric records showed a spike in natural gas usage in those meters between 1:30 a.m. and 2:00 a.m. the morning of the incident, which occurred at 9:54 a.m.