Experts share how gas explosions occur, how often, and safety after deadly Lexington blast
LEXINGTON, Mo. (KCTV) - On Wednesday night, tragedy struck in Lexington, Missouri, after a home exploded when a gas line was hit two hours prior.
KCTV5 Investigates brought questions to a fire investigator and utility expert to learn more about these explosions and how often these occur.
The United States Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) and the Missouri Public Service Commission look into gas line incidents like the one in Lexington.
Through data by the PHMSA, KCTV5 Investigates found since 2010:
- 86 incidents nationwide involved excavations and telecommunications work
- 26 of those had gas explosions
- At least three were in Missouri
- February 2025: Branson, MO - Hotel affected
- March 2022: O’Fallon, MO - Multiple homes affected
- February 2014: St. Louis, MO
All but one of those 26 explosions are believed to be caused by third-party contractors.
Prevalent to the Kansas City metro, JJ’s Restaurant explosion in 2013 was investigated by the Missouri Public Service Commission.
KCTV5 Investigates spoke with longtime fire investigator Richard Meier, who is based out of Florida. He travels all over the world to investigate explosions like these and covered the Plaza restaurant fire.
He said gas can travel a great distance and can easily ignite.
“It can be static electricity, it can be flipping a light switch, there are so many electrical devices in the home it can be the refrigerator turning on or off just the contact opening or closing is more than enough energy it can be a number of devices that provides the ignition,” said Meier Fire Investigation Principal Expert, Richard Meier.
He said contractors have a duty to avoid hitting a line when installing things like a fiber cable.
“They need to make sure that all of the existing utilities are marked,” said Meier. He added, “They also need to post somebody that has the detector there is actually an electronic device that can track the drill head underground so they know when they are getting close to those intersection points and actually have somebody observe when the drill gets to the pothole that they are not going to actually intersect with another line and cause an accident.”
If a leak occurs, he said utility companies also need to follow certain procedures.
“The gas company has a duty to perform certain functions after a leak occurs, they are supposed to evacuate the premises, they are supposed to corner off the area, and keep the people off before it is determined that the area is safe. Sometimes they do this very well, sometimes they don’t do it so well,” said Meier. He added, “It is just good policy, it can prevent accidents, it can prevent lawsuits.”
Gas explosions are more common than some might realize.
“We did some research a couple of years ago that documented that on average every 40 hours there is a major pipeline incident and that is something that can cause a death or serious property damage,” said Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) Energy and Utilities Program Director, Abe Scarr.
PIRG is a citizen-funded, nonpartisan advocacy group that looks into problems that are threatening the health, safety, and well-being of citizens.
Scarr said that, unfortunately, these are common due to the use of gas in the U.S.
“Gas is inherently unsafe, and millions of homes across the country still rely on gas for heating, or to heat our water, or for cooking,” said Scarr.
Now, with multiple investigations underway by local, state, and federal partners in Lexington, Meier said it is about finding the source of the gas, how it got into the home, and how it ignited.
He said that, at times, investigators can determine who is responsible for the blast.
“These are also pretty common that a third party is digging, isn’t as careful as they need to be or sometimes there isn’t good record keeping and they don’t know where these gas lines are,” said Scarr.
With this recent tragedy, these experts said to make sure you follow these tips for your safety.
- Call 811 if you plan to dig
- Make sure your carbon monoxide detectors work
- Try to change out your gas appliances over time if possible
A huge thing to note: if you smell gas or rotten eggs, do not turn anything off or on, leave, and call 911 or your gas company.
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