Deadly Gas Explosion In Brooklyn

Mods: apologies if someone beat me to it.

Gas explosion in Brooklyn.
Apparently caused by improper removal of a stove from a gas line.

From CNN (source link below)

"New York (CNN)A suspected gas explosion on Saturday afternoon left one person dead and three others injured in the Borough Park neighborhood of Brooklyn, officials said.

Firefighters responded within three minutes and were able to evacuate residents of surrounding buildings, according to Mayor Bill de Blasio. As of early Saturday evening, a fire was under control but still smoldering.

FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro said that the preliminary cause of the explosion had been traced to a stove exchange on the residential second floor of the mixed-use building. A resident was moving out and taking the stove, which requires disconnecting the gas line, officials said."


I can't say thos was the cause of negligence or lack of knowledge concerning proper handling when it comes to gas appliances, but this story made me wonder:
Why aren't we taught in school how to handle basic utilities of common use?
I could rattle on all day about other missed lessons such as how taxes work, how to build self-discipline or how to defend yourself, etc;
but in the interest of retaining focus on the topic source...
How many of us DON'T really know how to properly handle gas appliances in the home?
Or any common use yet potentially dangerous household utility (e.g.: rewiring light switches).
Aside from personal experience or mentoring, there isn't a great deal of exposure to instill common knowledge in people, and it shows in every avoidable accident I see in the news.
From driving to screwing in a light bulb, everything is unknown before it is learned.

Lack of common sense? Usually.
Missed opportunities to acquire said sense? Often.

CNN Link

a reply to: ADAMandEVIL
I'm leaving for 6 months. And although I'll have family and neighbors keepn eyeballs and cameras on the place.....should I close the valve to my gas stove? Should I flip the breaker off, on my electric water heater? Am I missing anything?

Well, the main reason is to protect the licensed individuals who make their living doing it. There are plenty of self help books that explain all about electrical wiring, appliance repair, etc. However, you probably won't see general education in primary and secondary schools teaching it. Although I got my certification in Industrial Electronics in a vocational school in high school, so there are some districts that offer that kind of stuff. A friend got his mechanics education at the same center.

Sounds like the resident was moving it himself and probably didn't ensure the gas line wasn't closed off properly at the supply source. I don't know if the gas company would send someone by to do it for them or not in NY. A spray bottle with a few drops of detergent is useful to spray on a line to check for leaks as it will create bubbles easy to see.

originally posted by: RoadCourse
a reply to: ADAMandEVIL
I'm leaving for 6 months. And although I'll have family and neighbors keepn eyeballs and cameras on the place.....should I close the valve to my gas stove? Should I flip the breaker off, on my electric water heater? Am I missing anything?

I would close off the gas supply valve outside just for precaution. If you have pilot lights on certain appliances like a dryer or water heater, you would need to light them again when you came home and turned the gas back on. There is a thermocouple that detects the heat from a pilot light and will shut the gas to the pilot light off if it isn't lit as a safety mechanism. Explosions have occurred when a gas leak develops and it eventually will find a pilot light or other spark to detonate it.

I would leave the breakers on, but you may want to shut off the water heater breaker to save money from keeping it heated while you are gone if it is electric and not gas. If you shut off your AC/Heat you could have a problem with mold or other issues being gone for a prolonged period. Turn it way down, but leave it on to prevent freezing of pipes, etc. If it is gas, you may have an emergency heat setting that will use electric coil backup, but I am not sure if it is normal to put them in gas central heaters. Most heat pumps have them as emergency backup.

Many more modern gas appliances have electric based starters rather than pilot lights, but you should know which ones do have pilot lights anyway.

I was helping my sister move her washer and dryer out of an apartment she was vacating, a few months ago... I found it was a gas dryer. I( used to deliver appliances in MT, but wasn't allowed to do anything gas, so I was cautious.). Her neighbor used to hook up and disconnect gas appliances thru his old work, so I double-checked my thoughts with him before doing anything, but still continued, but as I usually am, I was still cautious with the task... When I disconnected the gas line, I heard what I thought was a hissing sound, which made me think I did something wrong. My sister was right there, and it was her who made a hissing sound, "to be funny..." Once I realized that was the case, I smiled, and sighed with relief, and said, "please don't mess with me like that." She didn't like that, saying I play around like that "all the time." I repeated, calmly, and she couldn't just say, "okay," or "sorry." (This wasn't the first time she tried messing with me, within a short period of time, even.) I finally up and quit with trying to help her any further (after doing what I could to make sure I didn't leave the gas running) and left. I wish she would see this story to know how serious it was (could've been) but I don't talk to her much anymore... (Not BECAUSE of this incident, but it is one of a list of things, which she still doesn't take responsibility or apologize for)

originally posted by: spirit_horse

originally posted by: RoadCourse
a reply to: ADAMandEVIL
I'm leaving for 6 months. And although I'll have family and neighbors keepn eyeballs and cameras on the place.....should I close the valve to my gas stove? Should I flip the breaker off, on my electric water heater? Am I missing anything?

I would close off the gas supply valve outside just for precaution. If you have pilot lights on certain appliances like a dryer or water heater, you would need to light them again when you came home and turned the gas back on. There is a thermocouple that detects the heat from a pilot light and will shut the gas to the pilot light off if it isn't lit as a safety mechanism. Explosions have occurred when a gas leak develops and it eventually will find a pilot light or other spark to detonate it.

I would leave the breakers on, but you may want to shut off the water heater breaker to save money from keeping it heated while you are gone if it is electric and not gas. If you shut off your AC/Heat you could have a problem with mold or other issues being gone for a prolonged period. Turn it way down, but leave it on to prevent freezing of pipes, etc. If it is gas, you may have an emergency heat setting that will use electric coil backup, but I am not sure if it is normal to put them in gas central heaters. Most heat pumps have them as emergency backup.

Many more modern gas appliances have electric based starters rather than pilot lights, but you should know which ones do have pilot lights anyway.

Thanks, Spirit for the input
Although I have the possibility of pipe freezing on my mind....I didnt even think of the mold and mildew potential.
I leave me home for a couple weeks at a time several times a year. This will be the first time for a hump like this.
I had thought, being all my appliances are a little over a year old, that at least the gas stove would be ok if I just close the valve on the inside (no pilot lights).
The water heater is electric, so flipn the breaker, I figure, would be good enough.
I have central heating and air....the heat being gas. I had instructed my family members to turn the heat on as needed.
In the area I live, which is the east coast of Virginia, we rarely get slam dunk temperatures for long periods of time and rare snow time...but last year we DID kinda get pounded with both.
I would have somebody stay here while I'm gone....but I don't think I could stand the thought of it. I have an overwhelming feeling that no one can run or clean my home better than me.
Any other ideas would be 'super' greatly appreciated. Thanks again for the input.

a reply to: ADAMandEVIL
I apologize A&E, for using your thread here for my personal junk.
But it was because of your thread that rung a bell in me. The kind of bell that made me think, maybe it's a good idea to inquire. I've talked with close ones about my situation already....but I thought what could it hurt to inquire here.
More info the better.
I'm confident you understand and can appreciate that.

a reply to: RoadCourse

Hakuna matata, the more input the better!

Better safe than sorry- here's an extreme example from my personal experience...

I was going to buy a bike off a guy on Kijiji a couple summers ago, but when I showed up to pick it up, he came out and forgot the greasy food he was cooking on the stove. Result? Grease fire that took the entire house in minutes, along with a few pets as well. One of the saddest things I've ever witnessed.

News Link

A photo I took: