The massive gas explosion in Sissonville on Tuesday, Dec. 11 has some West
Virginians concerned that something similar could happen at their own
home.
"I was very shocked. It was devastating to hear that people were
affected so it was very sad," said one resident in southern West
Virginia.
"I feel really bad for those that are experiencing this. If I had
a choice, I wouldn't use gas," said another person.
One day after the explosion, 59News was working for you to find out just how
similar the Sissonville explosion is to residential gas leaks.
A Mountaineer Gas Company spokesman said that people should be aware there
are two different kinds of natural gas pipelines. He said the line
underneath Sissonville is a transmission line which is much different than
what's underneath your house. Those are called distribution lines.
In transmission lines, like in Sissonville, there is 1,100 pounds of
pressure. However, under a typical home there is only about a ¼ pound of pressure.
Beckley Director of Emergency Services, Kevin Taylor, said you might not realize
how close your house is to a gas line but added it is nothing to worry about.
"It's not something that happens on a regular basis," said Taylor.
He did add that when a gas leak does happen, it is something you should take
care of quickly, because when a gas explosion does happen it usually leads to
injuries and sometimes deaths.
Southern West Virginia residents reacting to the
Sissonville explosion said that people in that area were lucky.
"We were blessed to not have any deaths with this particular
disaster."
Taylor explained that there are
some precautions you can take to prevent a small natural gas leak from
happening in your home.
"Certainly if a person plans on excavating or conducting construction,
there's a site called 'Miss Utility' that you can call or contact and make a
determination to see if there's a gas line in the vicinity where workers can
plan on it being done."
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