Chris Schulz Published

One Dead After Clarksburg Gas Leak, Explosion

A picture of glue and red siren lights on top of a police cruiserEdward Kimmel/Flickr
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Residents of the Chestnut Hills neighborhood in Clarksburg returned home Monday after a gas leak led to a deadly home explosion over the weekend. 

Chestnut Street and Kramer Drive remain closed south of downtown Clarksburg as Hope Gas employees worked to repair damage after a residential home exploded Sunday afternoon at the intersection of the two roads.

Five blocks around the explosion were evacuated and the sole occupant of the building died after being transported to the hospital.

Pegi Bailey, director of the Harrison County Office of Emergency Management, said the sound of the blast could be heard across the city.

“It was quite alarming, 911 got over-ran,” she said. “Once they stabilized everything, the fire department got there, the police set up the barricades, they created that evacuation perimeter. Then we had people leaving the area, and a lot of them had to leave their cars behind because the fire trucks were blocked in.”

Bailey said the incident is a good reminder for preparedness, and to have what she calls a 72-hour kit available.

“Because if you need to evacuate fast, you need to have enough medicine, enough clothing, some toiletries, a little bit of food that you can snack on, just in case you’ve got to stay away for a few days,” she said.

Bailey said residents should not hesitate to call the gas company or emergency services if they smell excessive gas.

“Anytime you smell gas, you need to investigate the source,” she said. “Could be a pilot light, could be something easily that has blown out.You could have just started your stove and you got a little gas overfill. But you smell an excessive amount of gas, then you need to contact the gas company or contact the fire department to have someone come over and check and see what’s going on.”
For updates on the situation, Bailey said to watch the Harrison County Office of Emergency Management Facebook page.