Feb 20, 2009 10:47 pm US/Eastern
Somerset House Explosion Victim Identified
Preliminary Signs Point To Gas Leak As Cause
SOMERSET (WBZ) ―
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The home at 93 New York Ave. the day after the explosion.
WBZ
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The home at 93 New York Ave. in Somerset before the explosion.
WBZ
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This is an image from a cell phone camera of the fire after the explosion.
WBZ
Investigators are looking at a gas leak as a possible cause of a
deadly house explosion in Somerset.
62-year-old widow and mother Rose Marie Rebello and her dog were killed when her home at 93 New York Ave. blew up Thursday evening.
"She was a great person, very great. She was kind-hearted and everything," said friend and neighbor Madeline Champagne.
About four other homes were severely damaged and up to 30 were affected.
Watch: Raw Aerial Video Of Neighborhood
Investigators conducted a second sweep of the neighborhood Friday afternoon to make sure no one was left behind. Residents were allowed to return to their homes Friday evening.
However, seven nearby homes that were damaged have been deemed uninhabitable by authorities. A total of 200 people were evacuated after the blast.
View: Map of neighborhood
GAS LEAK COMPLAINTS
There are strong preliminary indications that a gas leak is to blame for the blast, State Fire Marshal Stephen Coan said Friday.
"There are two holes up there that allow them to isolate a single pipe," said Coan. "It's between those two excavation points that through the pressure testing of the line it was determined that there is a compromised pipe."
Police said they became aware of the situation Thursday evening, when they received calls about a gas leak around 5:10 p.m.
Residents were evactuated on New York Ave., Rhode Island St. and E. View Ave when Rebello's home exploded at 6:20 p.m.
"One of their crews was only a house away when this explosion occurred. It's my understanding that most of the debris went right over them," said Somerset Police Capt. John Solomito.
"LOOKED LIKE A TWISTER"
Neighbors said they smelled natural gas before the blast, which scattered debris in the street and rattled people miles away.
"It looked like a twister had gone through there," said William Meehan, chairman of Somerset's board of selectmen.
Meehan said the cause was suspected to be a natural gas leak and that crews from the New England Gas Co. were in the area before the blast.
GAS COMPANY STATEMENT
The company released a brief statement Friday afternoon.
"NEGC extends its deepest sympathies to the families affected by this accident. NEGC is working with state and local authorities in their investigation and to safely restore gas service to the area. We will not comment on the cause of this accident before that investigation is completed."
According to the state, if there are calls for gas odors, companies are required to respond within an hour.
Explainer: Natural gas delivery and inspections
On Thursday, 75 were moved from nearby homes to a temporary shelter at the Chase Elementary School, but none stayed there that night. All left to be with friends and relatives.
"ONE BIG BANG"
David Cucinotta and his wife had just finished dinner when they felt the explosion.
"There was just one big bang. We knew something was wrong," he said. "The house shook."
Other families e-mailed wbztv.com, saying they felt the blast miles away. "We felt our 2 story house shake, and we live in Taunton....over 10 miles away," David wrote. "Felt like the shock wave of a jet breaking the sound barrier, or a 60 to 70 mph wind gust."
"I live almost 10 miles away from the explosion in Somerset (Berkley) and I felt my house shake. Very scary!!" wrote Lisa.
Stunned neighbors walked outside trying to figure out what happened.
Many have not been able to return to their homes.
"What person can actually have peace of mind when you're in your own kitchen and the house blows up in your back yard," said neighbor Jim Carey, who is Rebello's cousin. "I mean what kind of peace of mind can you have?"
Carey was looking out onto Rebello's property when the explosion happened.
"We went out back, found out what happened with my cousin's house," he said.
Police will escort the family of the woman who died back to the home later Friday when they have completed their investigation.
Natural gas leaks were reported in two recent house explosions.
Read: What to do if you smell natural gas
David Kupris, 45, was killed
Dec. 17 in a blast in Scituate, and a
Gloucester police officer was hurt when his home exploded on Jan. 25.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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