AMERICAN FORK, Utah — An early morning house explosion in American Fork that killed a 78-year-old woman in March came after a "significant increase" in natural gas ignited the morning after crews were working at the home, according to a new report released nearly nine months after the incident.
James Hopkinson lives near where the incident took place.
"It was so loud... It was so loud that I thought it was my own house," he said.
The explosion at 6 a.m. on March 20 inside the duplex at Chipman Village, a senior living community, killed Kathy Harrison, although a resident on the other side of the building survived.
"The woman that survived was blown out of the house into our cul-de-sac, and we're the ones that found her," said Hopkinson.
A dog that escaped the home was found hours later in good condition.
The investigation released by the City of American Fork on Monday detailed the hours that led up to the explosion and how it could have been prevented with "proper awareness."
Drone video below shows size of devastation following house explosion:
The report claims an exterior in-line valve located on the accessory natural gas line was opened by one of the crew members working at the home the previous day. Data showed an increase in gas usage at the location from the moment crews left the scene until the home exploded.
According to the report, the furnace ignition mechanism was the source that ignited the explosion after natural gas concentrations reached flammable levels.
Hopkinson told FOX 13 News on Monday that the report confirms what he had suspected took place.
"We have been waiting for this report to confirm that, which in essence, it does," said Hopkinson.
A subcontractor who was working at the home the day before the explosion "had only been working alone on natural gas systems for approximately a week and a half," the report said. The worker had also previously only worked on single meters and not two-meter systems which was at the location.
At one point during the worker's service, he used the bathroom in the home of the woman who survived and detected a gas smell. The worker reentered the home with a detector and received no indications of gas concentration.
Dominion crews were then called in for assistance, who then called in for their own help when they "encountered complications," which were undefined in the report.
The report's conclusion determined that "the explosion and ensuing fire are considered unintentional or accidental. The home explosion could have been prevented with proper awareness."
Immediately following the explosion, a neighbor found the surviving woman standing in a cul-de-sac. A dog that escaped the home was found hours later in good condition.
"I honestly do not know how anyone survived what we are seeing here," said American Fork Fire Batallion Chief Brandon Boshard at the time. "That’s a little bit of a miracle in my mind. I don’t understand how anyone survived this."
Security cam video below shows massive explosion in American Fork neighborhood:
A natural gas leak was determined to be the cause of a South Jordan home explosion in which a 15-year-old boy was killed last month. The link was located in a 4-inch diameter Aldyl A natural gas main that had been installed in 1976.
