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GREECE, N.Y. — Four months after a devastating house explosion that destroyed a home along Stone Road in Greece, there are finally some answers as to what caused it.
News10NBC’s Jennifer Lewke reports that the investigation took months, partly due to the severe injuries sustained by the family, which delayed interviews.
The 16-page incident report, released to News10NBC this week, shows a “steady flow of natural gas” escaped into the home after the front cover of the natural gas meter in the basement fell off. Fire investigators found that the eight bolts securing the cover had been removed.
The homeowner did not recall removing the bolts, although a drill was found nearby, and there was no evidence of malicious intent.
Although the official cause of the explosion has been labeled as “undetermined,” investigators say they believe it was either the burner of the furnace or hot water heater that ignited the gas and caused the explosion.
According to the report, RG&E checked all the natural gas lines from the road into the house and all the neighborhood homes, finding it wasn’t a system issue but an issue with the meter in the house and the front panel being off.
Neighbor Mark Wilcox, whose Ring camera captured the incident, described the aftermath.
“His whole foyer was shoved into my camper and that totaled it so we’re getting that replaced and then just a lot of debris to clean up,” says Wilcox.
The family, consisting of a mother, father, and their adult daughter, survived the blast. The father, who was sleeping upstairs, told investigators he “landed outside the residence” and heard his family calling for help.
The daughter, who was downstairs, recalled waking up to a bad odor but did not recognize it as natural gas. When the explosion occurred, she urged her mother to leave first, but her mother refused to leave without her. Eventually, she mustered enough strength to move to safety.
Wilcox expressed amazement at their survival.
“The fact that they made it out alive and the house was just obviously destroyed, that was the most amazing thing,” Wilcox says.
There is still uncertainty as to whether or not the family will choose to rebuild a new home in Greece. The property where the explosion happened still remains blocked off with emergency fencing.
Here is the full incident report:
Security camera footage from the explosion:
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