It’s been a busy week for first responders in Wayne County, with two home explosions occurring in different communities just days apart.
Homeowners are now left wondering if there’s anything they can do to prevent such incidents.
The week began with an apartment explosion on Detroit’s west side, where at least 13 people were injured, including a 3-year-old girl. Investigators believe a gas leak caused that explosion.
--> Fire crews determine cause of apartment explosion on Detroit’s west side
Then, Thursday (April 3) morning, a home exploded in Southgate.
--> Woman dies from injuries after house explosion in Wayne County
Tragically, a 37-year-old woman lost her life, and a 38-year-old man was seriously injured. The cause of this explosion is still unknown, but authorities are investigating it as a gas-related incident.
With all this going on, many ask: “Are there steps homeowners can take to protect themselves from gas leaks?”
An HVAC expert talked to Local 4.
DTE issued a statement reminding homeowners that maintaining interior pipes and appliances is their responsibility.”
To explain further, the expert discussed the importance of maintaining your furnace.
“If the furnace is not working properly and the gas is running, but there is no pilot light or it’s not maintained properly, gas will build up. If it gets cold enough to combust and it’s full of gas, it’s a bomb. The house is going up in flames, and whoever is in it is probably not going to survive. The most important thing is to maintain your furnace. Have a professional look at that,” said Adam Helfman from Hire It Done.
He pointed out the exhaust where the furnace goes and exhausts out to the outside in the video above.
“If you see this, you can tell there’s all types of debris in here. Let me stick my hand in here. Oh yeah, it really needs it. This is dangerous. Look at all that. So this is very important. Even for someone like me, you’ve got to make sure that’s not plugged up because that will ruin the efficiency of your furnace. It will create a gas buildup, and if it does call for heat and ignites, everyone’s in trouble,” Helfman said while pulling out debris from inside an exhaust.
As for what caused this explosion, it is still under investigation.
