Murrieta House Explodes

Gas explosion at home in Murrieta, CA

​On Monday in the neighboring town of Murrieta there was a tragic natural gas explosion at a residential home. According to news reports it appears that a solar company was at the scene installing new panels. Somehow a gas line got ruptured. After the gas line rupture the fire department and SoCal Gas responded to the scene. While the utility workers were trying to turn the gas off something ignited the gas and a huge explosion occurred. Debris from the explosion damaged multiple home and sadly killed one utility worker. He was later identified as Wade Kilpatrick, he was 31.
Here are some important things to remember to help avoid injuries and damage. If you smell gas get out of the house and don’t return until it is deemed safe. The homeowner apparently returned to the home to grab a few items and she was in the house when the explosion happened.  She and her kids are unbelievably fortunate to have escaped with their lives. How they didn’t suffer major injuries is a bit of a miracle. Never return to the home unless it has been cleared by the fire department or the utility company.
Additionally, as I was driving in I heard on the radio a reminder from the gas company to always call them if you plan on digging. They will come out and mark the gas lines so that you can safely dig. Contractors are required to do this before they start a job. In this case the solar company did not call they were supposed to.
This house which was purchased on June 3.  When you buy a home you are required to provide insurance before your loan closes. Usually, the first year of insurance is paid in full when the escrow closes. So, I’d imagine this family will have coverage for the home. It will probably take a long time before the home is rebuilt. It will also be interesting to see who is held responsible for the damage done to the neighboring homes. Now, the home insurance companies will probably pay out to fix these homes. Usually, explosion is a standard coverage on home insurance. Each homeowner would file a claim through their company. They could then try to recoup their deductible from the person that caused the explosion. The insurance companies will also pay out loss of use for all the people that have been evacuated. It appears that multiple homes have been red tagged which means they are deemed unsafe to live in.  There must be major structural damage to the homes if they have been tagged. That just goes to show the power that this explosion had.
The properties will get rebuilt. The neighborhood will return to normal in time. The sad part of the story is the Gas worker that went to do his job and lost his life. Especially, when it sounds like this was an avoidable incident.
It’s also a good reminder to make sure your home limits are up to current standards. The policy on this home would have been a brand new home insurance policy. The agent should have made sure that the home is covered as it stood. Normally, I usually look at the photos of the home online to match up my insurance replacement calculator. You never plan on having a total loss on a home. But, you do want to make sure your home gets rebuilt the way it is.