Gas explosion destroys Knightville neighborhood house, no one injured (Printed Oct. 5, 2007)
Posted by Sentry Editor at 10/5/2007 9:07 AM 
Categories: So Po News, Ward Peck, Public Safety, Knightville Mill Creek
Categories: So Po News, Ward Peck, Public Safety, Knightville Mill Creek
By Ward Peck
Editor
A natural gas explosion on Monday morning destroyed a house on D Street but caused no injuries or any other significant property damage in South Portland’s densely developed Knightville neighborhood.
The explosion nonetheless rattled nerves and disrupted business throughout the commercial and retail hub with witnesses reporting buildings shaking and ceiling tiles fluttering.
Lt. Robb Couture, South Portland Fire Department’s public information liaison, said a gas leak was originally reported in the area of D Street at 8:25 a.m. after contractors excavating pavement dislodged a gas line.
Fire department personnel were dispatched to the scene, as was a crew from the natural gas company Northern Utilities.
About an hour later, while Northern Utilities staff was still addressing the gas line break, an explosion in 43 D Street caused the building to collapse, Couture said.
It was unclear as of Tuesday whether the two events were related; how long gas had been accumulating in the building or the source of the ignition, he said.
Following the explosion, emergency officials cut the power to the area and ordered it evacuated. County Emergency Management officials used a “reverse 911” telephone program to call homes throughout the downtown peninsula to alert residents of the evacuation order, Couture said.
Within several hours of the explosion, the evacuation area was reduced to several blocks as gas continued to leak into the atmosphere from at least one ruptured line. The destroyed building, a two-story single-family home, was unoccupied and undergoing renovations, Couture said.
The Notis Trust, whose trustees are members of the family that operates the Bridgeway Restaurant adjacent to the destroyed building, owns the building. Phil Notis, who was present at the scene following the accident, declined to speak until the investigation was complete.
While the building was under renovation, no work was being done at the time of the explosion.
It is unclear how extensive the renovations were expected to be. There is no building permit is on file in the city’s code enforcement office.
Editor
A natural gas explosion on Monday morning destroyed a house on D Street but caused no injuries or any other significant property damage in South Portland’s densely developed Knightville neighborhood.
The explosion nonetheless rattled nerves and disrupted business throughout the commercial and retail hub with witnesses reporting buildings shaking and ceiling tiles fluttering.
Lt. Robb Couture, South Portland Fire Department’s public information liaison, said a gas leak was originally reported in the area of D Street at 8:25 a.m. after contractors excavating pavement dislodged a gas line.
Fire department personnel were dispatched to the scene, as was a crew from the natural gas company Northern Utilities.
About an hour later, while Northern Utilities staff was still addressing the gas line break, an explosion in 43 D Street caused the building to collapse, Couture said.
It was unclear as of Tuesday whether the two events were related; how long gas had been accumulating in the building or the source of the ignition, he said.
Following the explosion, emergency officials cut the power to the area and ordered it evacuated. County Emergency Management officials used a “reverse 911” telephone program to call homes throughout the downtown peninsula to alert residents of the evacuation order, Couture said.
Within several hours of the explosion, the evacuation area was reduced to several blocks as gas continued to leak into the atmosphere from at least one ruptured line. The destroyed building, a two-story single-family home, was unoccupied and undergoing renovations, Couture said.
The Notis Trust, whose trustees are members of the family that operates the Bridgeway Restaurant adjacent to the destroyed building, owns the building. Phil Notis, who was present at the scene following the accident, declined to speak until the investigation was complete.
While the building was under renovation, no work was being done at the time of the explosion.
It is unclear how extensive the renovations were expected to be. There is no building permit is on file in the city’s code enforcement office.
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