Baltimore Explosion Leaves Behind Casualties, Injuries, and Debris

BGE said it responded to the scene at the fire department’s request to shut off all gas and electric service to make the scene safe.

BGE has canvassed the area and found no current readings of gas. A statement from the utility said it will conduct an investigation of its equipment in the area.

“Area inspections will encompass homes and gas equipment in a wide area to ensure there is no additional damage,” the statement said.

“In addition, BGE is reviewing records for this area, including any reported gas odors, recent inspection results and repairs.”

Glover, 56, and her 77-year-old father, Moses Glover, were at home when the massive explosion shook their house, knocking over a fan and some of her DVDs.

“I jumped up to see what was going on. I looked out the bathroom window and there was a house on the ground,” she said. “It sounded like a bomb went off.”

Dean Jones, 36, who lives nearby, ran to the scene. He said he saw a mess of bricks, glass and cinder blocks — and also a box of pancakes.

“You could tell this was a house that people lived in,” he said.

Jones said he and others began calling out for survivors and located an older woman who was eventually pulled out by firefighters.

Kevin Matthews, who lives on the block, told The Baltimore Sun that he could hear trapped children shouting: “Come get us! We’re stuck!”

Barry Leventhal, whose warehouse equipment business is about 150 feet (46 meters) from the blast site, said he was in his warehouse when the explosion erupted and shook his building, damaging lights and a concrete wall.

Fortunately, none of the company’s 10 employees was injured.

“We thought a plane crashed or something. We couldn’t figure it out,” said Leventhal, the owner of Everything Warehouse.

BGE asked the Maryland Public Service Commission to approve a new gas system infrastructure and a cost recovery mechanism in late 2017 to pay for upgrades.

“Founded in 1816, BGE is the oldest gas distribution company in the nation. Like many older gas systems, a larger portion of its gas main and services infrastructure consists of cast iron and bare steel — materials that are obsolete and susceptible to failure with age," the PSC wrote in a 2018 order approving a modernization plan.