View Full Version : Neighborhood exploded
In Indianapolis, about a week ago, there was a horrible explosion and fire in a subdivision. 2 houses were completely destroyed and about 32 are uninhabitable until they can be fixed. Several were blown off their foundations. They are still investigating this. At first they thought it was a plane crash, but it wasn't. They're not saying yet, but supposedly the people in one of the houses that exploded (and fortunately weren't home that weekend), said they'd been having trouble with their gas furnace.
The utility company said there weren't any gas leaks underground.
How can this be.........that one bad furnace can blow up so much? Makes me really nervous for people with gas to their homes. Maybe it was made worse by no one being home and the whole house filled up with gas before it blew?
No sign of a meth lab or a bomb. Very strange. You just wouldn't believe the damage. Pretty scary.
San Onofre Guy
11-16-12, 6:37pm
This was likely a gas explosion. Probably not from a gas distribution line but a leak inside a house. Gas built up to very high levels and a thermostat or some other device, possibly a pilot light went off, gas could have finally leaked into where the water heater is and that explosion set every thing off. Once the big explosion occurred you had numerous gas connections feeding gas from the distribution lines into the fire. It takes a bit of time to turn off gas mains in the street.
sweetana3
11-16-12, 6:47pm
None of the residents in the home that exploded were home, even the cat was boarded. The police and a whole platoon of investigators are working the crime scene. The damage was amazing with nearby houses blown apart with walls totally separated from ceilings and pushed out. Blocks away windows and garage doors were blown in. Estimates are around 30 houses have serious structural damage and many will need to be torn down. Some being blown off foundations. State Farm is working 40 cases in the subdivision according to this evenings newspaper. I wonder if they are the insurer of the focal house that exploded or are just the major insurer in the subdivison.
Everyone is working together and the biggest hassles were because of the extent of the crime scene. Two people died so the investigators are being very careful and controlling all access to the area (which is a good thing).
I live in Indy and have spoken to a number of people who live close. My mother in law lives no more than a couple of miles away and slept thru it. Some 5 miles away thought a tree had fallen on their house.
Every time some neighborhood explodes like this, I'm happy all over again to be living in an all-electric house. I know the odds of this happening to any individual are tiny, but I still prefer electricity.
simplelife4me
11-16-12, 8:03pm
Natural gas or meth lab.
The few number of times that there have been houses explode because of gas in nearby towns, the occupants have actually survived. This subdivision is just unbelievable. It looks like a bomb went off. I wonder how long the occupants had been gone? Maybe before it filled up to such huge proportions, someone (had they been home) would have noticed the smell. Supposedly the daughter noticed the smell in the recent past. The furnace quit working about 2 weeks ago and the boyfriend replaced the thermostat, and it started working again. Its pretty scary to think that one furnace leak could have caused so much damage.
I, too, am glad we don't have gas..........although I do miss cooking on a gas stove. Even if they had a carbon monoxide detector, if no one is home to hear it, its of no use to the neighbors who might get blown sky high.
sweetana, I think I heard someone say that it appeared that their gas usage had gone up alot recently. Did you hear that? I wonder if anyone could have noticed that (at the gas company) and checked it out before all this happened?
Seems like the people in charge are handling things pretty well now.
sweetana3
11-16-12, 8:53pm
Investigators will not comment on various reporter's questions on usage, etc. They dont know yet. However, most people and engineers seem to feel it was an enormous amount of gas built up to blow up as it did.
Investigators will not comment on various reporter's questions on usage, etc. They dont know yet. However, most people and engineers seem to feel it was an enormous amount of gas built up to blow up as it did.
Do they think there is a possibility it was done on purpose? Maybe to claim insurance money? Seems odd that everyone, including the cat, was out of the house at that time. Although, if they had a furnace inspector out before hand then they must have had a problem so insurance fraud is probably not the case. Even a fairly small gas leak, if in the house or near the meter, would be noticed because they put something in to make that sulfer odor as natural gas is odorless. So if the leak was in their house over a period of time, you'd think they would have noticed it. So the leak must have happened after they left and wouldn't account for the higher-than-normal gas useage in the days and weeks before unless it was in an unaccessible part of the house like below the subfloor (natural gas will rise but it can become trapped in large quantiies in certain areas).
simplelife4me
11-17-12, 5:51pm
Always have to rule out "arson".
This is certainly terrible. But electricity is also potentially dangerous. One of my college friends got home to find his house ablaze because of an electric short that started a fire.
jp1......this went far beyond a fire at one house. It looks like a bomb hit.
When I first heard that they were questioning the owner of the house where the explosion no doubt happened, I thought they were being cruel to her......since people were implying she was involved in something shady.
But today in the paper, it said that she was having financial difficulties. She couldn't sell her house and had taken it off the market. Everyone was gone for the weekend......she and her boyfriend, her daughter, and they had even sent the cat to a kennel. And there was a truck parked out in front of the house for awhile, the afternoon before the explosion. Very strange. I hope if this woman was hoping to just blow up her own house, they can accurately figure it out. Because it killed her 2 neighbors and made dozens of families homeless.
Here's a link that will show you the devastation.
http://www.indystar.com/article/20121117/NEWS/211170342/Then-Earth-shook-Blast-effects-reach-across-all-Indianapolis?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Indianapolis %20News
Oh my god! I hope this woman did not do this on purpose!
One of the first questions arson investigators ask is, "where were the pets?" Boarding the cat certainly looks suspicious. Our cat is neglected I guess. If we leave for a week or less he gets a clean litter box, a full food bowl, a couple water bowls, a pat on the head and the run of the house...
sweetana3
11-19-12, 5:12pm
Police have now announced that a criminal investigation has determined that this was not an accident. They are looking for the furniture that should have been in the home (they had all the pictures from the previous listing for sale). 70 investigators are on site and they recovered the gas meter and will check for unusual spicks in usage.
It is unbelievable that someone would consider this as a solution. If they did, I hope they did not expect people to die and so many to be homeless. Now it is up to 5 million dollars damage.
I watched a hotel blow-up once. The cause was a gas leak. The gas built up and then someone turned on a light switch. The explosion leveled a three-story concrete slab hotel, killing one person. I just happened to be looking in the direction of the hotel when it blew. I remember a car parked just outside the hotel flew in the air about 30 feet. It was surreal.
Yes, this is such a tragedy even if it was an accident. But to think someone may have planned it is worse. I wonder if they meant to just blow up their own house, but were amateur enough to screw up?
Its so sad that the innocent couple next door died. And I just heard today that when the firemen arrived, the couple was still alive, but died in the fire. :(
I guess we shouldn't assume anything just yet. But I read that her boyfriend has a record. I'm glad this wasn't just treated as "just" a gas leak. It just didn't make sense. What a tragedy.
sweetana3
11-20-12, 5:11pm
Two people arrested on warrants pursuant to the explosion in Indianapolis. Police keeping details quiet but they have just announced it was not an accident. In fact, they are looking for pieces of furniture that should have been in home. (they are thinking that special pieces were removed by the couple living there.)
State Farm insured the home and have a huge team of investigators working alongside the police to develop the case. Someone said over 70 people are investigating.
I wonder who pays for the damage done to other homes in an arson case?
San Onofre Guy
11-21-12, 3:52pm
The other homes are likley insured and those insurers will pay the owners. The criminals won't be able to pay as no coverage on their liability policy for intentional acts and they are judgment proof in that they have no assets.
Today they said that 33 homes (out of 90) will need to be bulldozed. Unbelievable.
I read that the residents don't want it called an act of homegrown terrorism because, supposedly, insurance doesn't cover acts of terrorism.
I just can't imagine. Its like the folks on the east coast. One day you're fine, the next day you have no where to live, with everything you own, gone.
But this is different in that probably someone caused it. So sad.
sweetana3
11-21-12, 5:39pm
If someone caused it, it was for money not for political power.
It is different than the East Coast in that those who live on or near the ocean have to be aware of its power and destructive ability. Humans dont learn from history very well. People still live on Galveston Island and thousands died during a hurricane. Hurricanes and storms are usually preceded by days and days of predictions and then warnings and then evacuation orders. Electricity goes out when wires are down and should be expected during any such storm or ice storm, snow storm, anything affecting the trees and limbs.
You do not expect a house to blow up and take 30 others with it. In an unexpected instant all is gone.
Miss Cellane
11-21-12, 5:41pm
Today they said that 33 homes (out of 90) will need to be bulldozed. Unbelievable.
I read that the residents don't want it called an act of homegrown terrorism because, supposedly, insurance doesn't cover acts of terrorism.
I just can't imagine. Its like the folks on the east coast. One day you're fine, the next day you have no where to live, with everything you own, gone.
But this is different in that probably someone caused it. So sad.
To me, terrorism has the element of scaring people into doing what the terrorists want. Or just scaring/shocking them very badly. I haven't seen anything that suggests that is what happened.
What this seems like at the present time is arson gone really, really wrong. Not terrorism. Just stupidity. And maybe greed.
I agree......it doesn't seem to fit in this case.......but the residents were concerned with the wording of things.
I was really concerned when it first seemed like a gas furnace problem. I thought.....how the heck can people live with gas furnaces, if one little problem can cause this much destruction? I was relieved that that wasn't the case. I guess alot of people who have gas furnaces are relieved too.
Cathy, that was exactly my point. All energy sources have the potential to be dangerous. I'm no expert on natural gas so i didnt want to speculate on whether this was intentional. However, the size of the explosion made me suspicious that it would have been an obvious leak when the furnace tech inspected. And also, if i were afraid there was a leak in my house i'd leave the windows open until it was resolved just to be safe.
And if it turns out this was intentional then i hope they apend a long time in prison.
All energy sources have the potential to be dangerous.
That is very true. But it is usually pretty simple to mitigate the dangers. Keep things clean and well maintained and just check periodically to make sure things are working right and you won't have a problem. Of course there is that one tried and true way to warm up your house, cause no pollution and spend no money. Let the sun shine in.
Of course there is that one tried and true way to warm up your house, cause no pollution and spend no money. Let the sun shine in.
That reminds me of something I saw on Facebook a while back. "When there's a solar energy spill it's just called a nice day."
I hadn't heard that one jp1, but I like it!
They've finally just arrested 3 people responsible for this horrific explosion...........The woman owner, her boyfriend and his brother. Apparently the brother messed with the gas to the fireplace, then triggered the explosion with a timer on the microwave. So much destruction of so many homes, and 2 people died. Very sad. But I'm glad they've figured out the cause.
In case you want to see this... It's pretty bad... Here's a short vid of the damage.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/20/warrants-indianapolis-home-explosion_n_2168225.html
iris lily
12-21-12, 11:32am
They've finally just arrested 3 people responsible for this horrific explosion...........The woman owner, her boyfriend and his brother. Apparently the brother messed with the gas to the fireplace, then triggered the explosion with a timer on the microwave. So much destruction of so many homes, and 2 people died. Very sad. But I'm glad they've figured out the cause.
Was this an insurance scam thing?
IL.......it appears so. The woman was in deep debt and couldn't seem to get her house sold. Also, earlier in the year, they took out more insurance on their possessions.
There were many homes that needed to be torn down completely after the explosion because their foundations were so badly affected. The couple next door was killed. They were young people who were well-liked and died in the fire, screaming for help, but the firemen couldn't get to them soon enough.
After the explosion, the woman owner of the house was crying on the news, saying she was a victim too and why would people think she did this? Her husband said the same thing. Well, they planned it all and her husband's brother carried it out. Very tragic.
sweetana3
12-21-12, 12:51pm
Listening to the prosecutor detail the probable cause specifics is chilling. The people who did it removed the safety valve from the gas fireplace and left it on. They then set the advance timer on the microwave for 11pm or so. The house filled with gas for over 8 hours before it exploded. The trial will depend on the details (even the Secret Service was at the news conference) and who of the trio or any others testifies against the others for a plea deal. I am thinking the woman might since she did not do the work but was a big part of the conspiracy.
The thing I find so remarkable about this story is that these people thought they might actually get away with their scam. I mean, really. I'm no arson investigator, but just reading the initial news story there were several red flags to me, starting with the cat being in boarding and the furnace tech that couldn't find a gas leak. Now we learn that they upped the insurance too??? Unbelievably dumb. I can only hope and assume that it was not their intention to blow up the whole neighborhood, but regardless, the fact remains that that is in fact what they did and they need to be punished accordingly.
Supposedly, the woman's boyfriend is a real con artist. He would go to a casino every Friday night and pick up a woman and treat her great, but early in the evening would say he left his wallet at home. The women would then go to an ATM and get alot of cash out for the evening. Then he'd never pay them back or call them again. One woman said everyone in the casino knew him and called him by name and acted like he was really a respectable person. A real con man. He actually lost 10,000 at the casino, the night the neighborhood exploded.
I think they really didn't know what they were doing with the gas in the house, and thought it would just explode that house. Really dumb, evil people. I'm glad they will be spending many years in prison. I've even heard they might get the death penalty.
sweetana3
12-24-12, 8:51am
The death penalty qualifies under Indiana law (very clearly). However, the decision will be based on the quality of evidence, testimony they can get from the conspirators, and the heavy cost of the trial and appeals. I would be happy with either choice.
I thought about going down to the courthouse but they will probably only say not guilty and leave. Long walk for 5 minutes.
iris lily
12-24-12, 11:08am
But I am glad about the cat although I don' know where she will land now that dear old dad and mum are in jail.
IL.....they had a daughter, who was at someone else's house that night (same night as the previous weekend when they tried to blow up the house, but it didn't work). I don't know how old she is, but she'll probably get the cat. Hopefully she hasn't learned any awful behavior from her mom and mom's boyfriend.
Sweetana, do you think there's any possibility that could be found not guilty? I doubt it, but you never know. Maybe it will be Indy's OJ/Casey Anthony's case.
sweetana3
12-24-12, 11:52am
You never know but it is so clearly set out in the probable cause,so many fancy investigators and Federal agencies were involved to develop the facts, and so many people interviewed and providing information, it would take a very clever attorney, stupid mistakes on arrest, or clueless jurors.
OJ was a media farce. He was a celebrity and that fact affected the whole trial. These are three "losers" where the story is the important part and not the celebrity.
CathyA I think the daughter is around 12 years old. A critical age.
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