Seven Bel Air homes have been declared as uninhabitable following an explosion at a neighboring residence on Aug. 11.
One home was demolished Monday, according to Harford County spokesperson Matt Button. The county asked property owners to contact their insurance companies to have a structural engineer, a master electrician and a master gas fitter to assess the homes. While the county declared the homes to be unsafe, insurance companies hiring the technicians will decide whether to repair or rebuild the home.
“For the remaining houses, we will not make that decision,” Button said in a statement. “They would be hired by the insurance companies to identify deficiencies and what would be needed to repair them, if possible. The insurance companies will ultimately decide whether to repair or rebuild.”
Fire officials said a contractor for Baltimore Gas and Electric Company was responding to a report of a gas leak Aug. 11. While officials were on their way to the home in the 2300 block of Arthurs Woods Drive, they were notified the home had exploded, Master Deputy State Fire Marshal Oliver Alkire said.
Jose Rodriguez-Alvarado, the 35-year-old contracted employee, and Ray Corkran Jr., the 73-year-old homeowner, were found dead. Officials said at the time that at least 12 families had been displaced.
The National Transportation Safety Board, which regularly looks into incidents involving pipelines, is investigating the explosion. Investigators will gather witness statements, available surveillance, pipeline’s safety management system plans, operating practices and procedures and other relevant data — such as performance data, operator qualification, training and pipeline maintenance records — to determine the cause of the explosion.
A final report with the probable cause of the explosion can take one to two years to be completed.
