Lexington city council prays for comfort in time of crisis

LEXINGTON, Mo. (KCTV) — Nearly two weeks since a house exploded in one of Lexington, Missouri’s historic districts, a city council member addressed the difficult time during the invocation that preceded council business.

“We come tonight as a city council that is grappling with the crisis that is in our town,” prayed Councilman Thomas Roland. “Lord, we pray that our actions and decisions would bring comfort and relief to the people that have been affected by this.”

The explosion on the night of April 9 killed 5-year-old Alistair Lamb, his father, Jacob Cunningham, and his sister, 10-year-old Cami Lamb. Several homes on the block shook from the impact, which blew out windows up and down the block. The subsequent fire destroyed two adjacent homes.

Some people in town were angry early on, saying the explosion could have been prevented. But it also brought out the strength of community and togetherness.

A hair stylist at Serendipity Hair Studio described the mood she’s picked up from customers and local online platforms.

“Definitely tense would be a word for it,” said Anna Howes. “But really, it’s uplifting. I want to say the word would be uplifting because a lot of people are checking out for people that are down and anybody that was involved in the incident as well.”

At Riverside Nutrition, where they concoct protein shakes and teas, there is a special menu with a Spider-Man theme dedicated to Alistair, who adores the web-slinging superhero. A portion of proceeds were being set aside for his family.

“We want to help in any way that we possibly can,” said owner Jordan Heber, “and we also want to honor Alistair in any way we can.”

A wrongful death and injury lawsuit filed by Cunningham on April 18 alleges negligence by Liberty Utilities, United Fiber and two construction companies contracted to do install an underground fiber network. A gas line was struck while boring.

The lawsuit claims the utility failed to clearly mark the location of the gas pipeline and failed to communicate the proper depth. It called all four companies negligent for not attempting to notify neighbors of the gas leak, and not attempting to shut off gas or electric service to nearby homes as a precaution. It alleges gas was leaking underground for more than 3.5 hours before the explosion.

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