A gas leak is the suspected source of a house explosion in Waterloo, Iowa, that injured two people on March 29, 2017. Linda Bokmij, 39, and her daughter, Elizabeth, 9, were making dinner around 9:30 p.m. when, shortly after they turned on the gas stove, the explosion occurred.
Waterloo Fire Chief Pat Treloar told KWWL that the force of the blast lifted the house off of its foundation. When fire crews arrived at the house, located at 1102 South St., there was a fire in the basement, and the main floor of the single-story home was collapsing.
Mother & daughter suffer minor burns from #explosion and fire at #Waterloo #Iowa home https://t.co/9Swup1dsFa
— KWQC-TV6 News (@kwqcnews) March 30, 2017
Family members told first responders that they smelled something unusual prior to the explosion, but could not detect where it was coming from. Bokmij’s two sons were taking out the trash when the explosion occurred. They ran to their relatives’ house next door to call 911.
Linda and Elizabeth were taken to Covenant Medical Center for treatment. They had sustained burns and injuries from flying debris. The source of the explosion is still under investigation.
Gas Stoves and Explosions
The Consumer Product Safety Commission is the federal agency responsible for publishing recalls of defective products. In the past, there have been a number of gas stove recalls due to the risk of explosion. There is no information on whether the stove involved in this incident was recalled.
In one case, the company issued the recall because there had been reports of the burners on the rangetops, which operated using LP gas (propane), failing to ignite or light when the gas control knob was left in a position between OFF and LITE. This meant gas could leak without the consumer knowing it, posing a risk of delayed ignition or explosion.
Sources:
http://www.kwwl.com/story/35035963/2017/03/Thursday/waterloo-home-no-longer-livable-after-gas-leak-ignites-explosion
http://wcfcourier.com/news/local/family-survives-house-explosion/article_7790120b-6ea2-52c6-b0b6-9e94f8ed9e6c.html
