WASHINGTON — A Virginia lawmaker is demanding answers after a gas leak caused an explosion at a home in the Marumsco Hills community in Woodbridge on Feb. 7.
“What happened? What broke down where we had reports [of residents smelling gas] yet something like this could occur?” asked Virginia Sen. Jeremy McPike at a town hall on Saturday.
McPike, who represents Prince William County, Manassas and Manassas Park, coordinated the town hall meeting at Hylton Education Center at Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center after residents called on him for help.
Representatives from Washington Gas and Virginia Corporation Commission’s Division of Utility and Railroad Safety were there, along with residents of the Marumso Hills area.
On Feb. 7, firefighters were able to evacuate the family from the home just minutes before the explosion happened.
But since the explosion, neighbors say they have been running scared, wondering if their home might be next since they weren’t getting any answers.
Washington Gas crews have been out in the neighborhood digging up streets and replacing lines. Residents complained that they did not know what was going on and wanted to know if their homes were safe.
Washington Gas spokesman Jim Monroe says that Washington Gas has fixed 10 gas leaks and says other low-priority leaks are being addressed. He adds that 800 out of 1,100 homes will have their gas lines replaced, mainly as part of upgrading an aging system.
“We know the neighborhood is safe and hopefully we’ve given [residents] those assurances today,” Monroe says.
But the senator says more needs to be done.
McPike says there is no word on when the explosion investigation will be completed. And he notes that Washington Gas was out in that neighborhood days before the explosion.
After the town hall meeting, Karen Fallah, who lives in the Muramsco Hills neighborhood, says she feels a little better.
“It was informative,” Fallah says. “I really wanted to know what they were doing, what their procedure was, what they were doing going forward. I still don’t feel completely safe but I feel somewhat better about it.”
Washington Gas says that going forward its communication with residents will be better.
