Monday, March 2, 2015

THE DETERIORATING NJ INFRASTRUCTURE: GAS EXPLOSION AND SUBSEQUENT FIRE DESTROY POINT PLEASANT BEACH HOUSE












MARCH 2, 2015

POINT PLEASANT BEACH, NEW JERSEY

A gas explosion set off a heavy fire that injured a tenant and destroyed a one-story home early Monday morning—the second blast in under a week, Ocean County authorities said.

Firefighters spent hours knocking down the fire early Monday at a one-story garage apartment at the back of 307 Cooks Lane. A fire victim living in the structure said it ignited after he smelled gas, according to a statement from the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office spokesman, Al Della Fave.

The victim, an unidentified 47-year-old man, suffered injuries affecting 40 to 50 percent of his body, Della Fave said. He was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center and transferred to Saint Barnabas Burn Center for treatment. The man was later listed in stable condition.

The man told authorities that he woke up to the smell of gas, Della Fave said. After he went to the bathroom and turned on the light switch, the entire house went up in flames.

Firefighters were called to the scene 1:47 a.m., finding a fully involved structure fire, said Point Pleasant Beach Fire Chief John Pasola. He said the house was fully involved and collapsing.

Pasola said the two-story house at the front of the property was at risk of exposure from the flames. That and the icy weather prompted him to upgrade the fire to a second alarm.

Point Pleasant Beach Fire extinguished the remaining fire without incident, Pasola said. The Ocean County Prosecutor's Office Arson Unit, Ocean County Fire Marshall and Ocean County Sheriff's Department CSI responded to conduct the investigation into the origin and cause of the leak leading to the explosion.
No one on Cooks Lane was evacuated, Pasola said. He said he didn't know if the homeowners of the two-story house were there at the time of the fire.

New Jersey Natural Gas responded and secured the gas meter.

Neighbors described a gas explosion that completely vaporized a home on Cooks Lane as sounding like an earthquake that woke them from a sound sleep.
"After I heard the boom I heard sirens in the distance. I thought it was something in town," said Rose Marie Posella. "We looked out the back door and saw an inferno next door. The flames were in the trees."

Posella's home is about 50 feet from the explosion and two houses down.
Brian Kiddey, who lives directly next door at 305 Cooks Lane, said when he awoke and looked outside he saw a man rolling around in the snow.
"He must have been blown nearly 30 feet," said Kiddey.

From the street some of the remaining foundation is visible, but the yard is strewn with charred wood, and other remains such as a bed spring and a stove.
Ocean County Fire officials are still on the scene, along with NJ natural Gas and pt. Beach police.
Source: www.app.com

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POINT PLEASANT BEACH — A Point Pleasant Beach man was badly burned when his house erupted in flames in a natural gas explosion early Monday morning.

The explosion, at a house on Cooks Lane, is the second explosion from a natural gas leak at a house in Ocean County in the past two weeks, prompting authorities to caution residents about the dangers of leaks.

In this case, the victim, a 47-year-old man, awoke to the smell of natural gas around 1:40 a.m., said Al Della Fave, spokesman for the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office.

Della Fave said the entire house erupted into flames when the man turned on the bathroom light.

When Point Pleasant Beach police and firefighters arrived, the man was outside the house, alert and conscious, but had burns over 40 percent to 50 percent of his body, Della Fave said.

The victim was rushed to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, and then sent to Saint Barnabas Hospital's burn center in Livingston, where he was listed in stable condition, Della Fave said.

New Jersey Natural Gas arrived on scene and shut off the gas, Della Fave said.
The prosecutor's office's arson unit, the Ocean County Fire Marshal and the Ocean County Sheriff's Department are investigating the source and the cause of the leak leading to the explosion, Della Fave said.

On Feb. 23, an unoccupied house in Stafford Township exploded when a leak in a natural gas main distribution line fed gas into the basement utility room, authorities said. The house exploded when the gas came into contact with an open flame, possibly a pilot light, authorities said.

NJNG offered the following advice regarding potential gas leaks:
Because natural gas has no scent, a strong odorant that smells like rotten eggs is added to help you detect possible leaks. If you smell natural gas:

1.   Remove any cigarettes or other smoking materials from the area, and then extinguish them
2.   Do NOT use matches, lighters or other open flames or activate light switches, electrical appliances, flashlights, doorbells or even garage door openers, as they could create a spark.
3.   Do NOT use telephones (cellular included) on the premises where the leak is suspected. Phones can create a spark.
4.   Evacuate everyone from the building immediately and then call NJNG from a safe location at 800-GAS-LEAK (800-427-5325). Let the company know where you are.
5.   Do not re-enter the building until NJNG has declared it to be safe.
 

Source: www.nj.com