Indy blast: 2 homes destroyed, more afire

[Comrade_McKenzie]

Source: Associated Press

A thunderous, late-night explosion destroyed at least two homes in Indianapolis and set surrounding homes ablaze, killing one person and causing several injuries, authorities said Sunday.

Fire officials told WISH-TV that one death has been confirmed but they did not immediately identify the victim or the circumstances behind the fatality. The powerful blast also knocked garage doors off their hinges, shattered windows and caved in walls in homes in the surrounding neighborhood on the southside of the city, forcing many to evacuate in pajamas.

The cause of the explosion and fires wasn't immediately clear, but Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard dismissed speculation of a possible plane crash soon after he arrived on the scene and described a scene of devastation that went on "for blocks on end." Fire officials said separately that investigators would be checking whether natural gas was possibly involved, cautioning that the investigation was only in the preliminary stages.

Ballard said at least two homes were destroyed and authorities said several homes were set on fire in the powerful explosion reported shortly after 11 p.m. Saturday and heard for miles all around the south Indianapolis neighborhood of tightly clustered homes.

Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/indy-blast-home-leveled-4-more-afire-injuries

[Comrade_McKenzie]

1. Just found this on Twitter via @LesNews...

https://twitpic.com/show/iphone/bc8m1q

[Contrary1]

2. I live about 5 miles away from this neighborhood...

and even our house shook. They are saying that roughly 100 homes were damaged to some degree.

[Warpy]

3. Wow, that sounds more powerful than just leaking gas

This is a story to continue watching.

[Contrary1]

4. Scared us. We heard a boom, and then the windows rattled.

We thought a plane had gone down. People 10+ miles away are saying they felt it too.

It was reported that the owners of the home were gone at the time. Hopefully, that is true, as nobody could have survived a blast that large.

[ReRe]

9. I have family

living in south Indianapolis..... E. Stop 50 Rd and another one on Montgomery Ave...
Is this anywhere near those streets?? Thanks

[Contrary1]

10. Montgomery Av is very near the area...

But the major damage is pretty much contained to this sub-division. I have never heard of Stop 50 Rd. Are you sure about the name?

[ReRe]

12. Thank you so much!

I think... Anyway, Stop 50 Rd is in far southern Indianapolis... I think it sort of separates Greenwood from Indianapolis. Runs East-West. Will wait a while before I call about the ones on Montgomery Ave. Again, thanks so much for your reply.

[Contrary1]

18. The road that separates Indy from Greenwood is County Line Road...

But Stop 50 may be an older name for it. Either way, I'm glad that your loved ones are far enough away from this.

[ReRe]

24. You was right about County Line Road

I was panicky and couldn't think straight. One of them does live on E. County Line Rd....they also had a home on Stop 12 Rd. (not Stop 50)
I'm waiting for a call back right now.... Wish they would hurry and call me back... the longer I sit here with no word..... well it's like torture.

[ReRe]

26. Got the call...

Everyone's OK... the one on Montgomery Ave. is only about a mile (as-the-crow-flies)
from where it happened. They heard & felt it, but no property damage to their knowledge at their house or neighbors. Close call. My heart does go out to those people that were affected. Last I heard on online TV reports was that 2 were dead and 20 injured at this point. People were evacuated to a nearby school and most were gone from there by now to go be with relatives or stay at hotels... At this point they are blaming it on a "gas leak".

Over and out... ReRe

[nc4bo]

27. That can't possibly be an ordinary household leak.....all that damage sounds like a mainline.

or they're just bsing until they investigate.

Either case - that's some scary that went on there.

to those effected. Hope everyone's ok!!

[ReRe]

33. I agree with you...

... I NEVER believe the cover story if it's coming out of officials mouths.... and especialllllly in INDIANA. Sounds like a deal like out in CA a couple years ago...remember that one? I doubt they can blame it on old infrastructure, as it is in a fairly new subdivision/area. Probably construction deregulation aftermath, or, like someone else said in this thread... a dumb McVeigh wanna-be irate winger type (angry over the election) brewing up a boom-boom.

[Comrade_McKenzie]

5. Whoa. I don't think they even know what happened at this point, do they? nt

[silvershadow]

6. No. ATF on scene. nt

[Warpy]

53. They said gas leak at first

but it would have to be a gas main, not a little suburban feeder pipe. So they called in the ATF. Good move, guys.

Some congressman's office said meth labs and bombs have been ruled out. I think his office might have spoken just a little too soon.

This is going to be one to watch, in any case.

The last time I saw a bang this big in Indiana, it was when a sporting goods store with a basement full of dynamite for illegal Indiana fishing blew up in 1968 and took part of downtown Richmond with it.

[wellspring]

7. Blast under control now.

Blast occurred at about 11 PM, presumably local time. Under control an hour and a half later except for some hot spots.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-explosion-levels-home-damages-others-in-indianapolis-20121110,0,6224901.story

What a horrific event. What on earth could be going on in Indiana? Nothing happens there.

[dchill]

8. This is scary.

[wellspring]

13. Doors ripped from frames, homes damaged blocks away. Pic ----

More info ----

http://news.yahoo.com/indy-blast-2-homes-destroyed-more-afire-061319439.html



Pic ----




http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/l5sfXKC7UCWhi3Kn6co2KA--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9aW5zZXQ7aD0xMDI0O3E9Nzk7dz0xNDkx/

[countryjake]

41. Can't even imagine the fear those neighbors must have felt...

http://www.breakingnews.com/topic/indianapolis-house-explosion


Thanks, wellspring, for all of the links, videos, and pics that you've provided to this thread! Someone watching cable news today would never even know anything like this has happened in Indianapolis.

[yends21012]

14. Something big happened there.

Plane crash, natural gas...

Sounds like they are trying for a cover-up.

[Myrina]

45. Meth cooking - Indiana's home pharmacy industry ...

... especially on the south side (North Kentucky, as us Far Northsiders call it) ....

[nc4bo]

47. This is a pretty packed subdivision, not much room between houses. You'd think if that were the

case than most everyone in that subdivision would be raising holy holler because cooking meth has a strong chemical scent.

So gotta wonder if the police were receiving complaints about bad smells.

[Contrary1]

62. Yeah, us "North Kentuckians" are way backward down here...

We don't even have a Trader Joe's.

When's the last time you were down this way?

Never mind, I know the answer to that. This is a nice neighborhood, with decent, caring people.

[Myrina]

67. Whatever - I'm not from Indy, I just live here

& report what the locals say.

Take a pill already.

[wellspring]

15. Here's video ----

The video poster is ironically called "LeakingNews4."

Doesn't seem like a gas leak to me.

[truthisfreedom]

16. I wish the best for the families.

[nc4bo]

30. Same here. I cannot imagine how terrifying this must have been for those poor people.

Wishing them the best!

[Warpy]

54. It didn't sound like a gas leak to me, either, even when

the first reports came in. That's too big a bang for a basement full of gas.

[wellspring]

17. Another video --- looks like chopper on the scene ----

(See searchlight in sky at end of this video...)

Looks like lots of people with flashlights, chopper in the sky. This is some cataclysm.

[wellspring]

19. NBC report ----

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/11/15083724-two-killed-homes-destroyed-in-huge-indianapolis-explosion?lite

[wellspring]

20. WTHR report ----

WTHR is the NBC affiliate in Indianapolis. This report has a video ---


http://www.wthr.com/story/20064503/homes-flattened-in-south-indianapolis-explosion

[wellspring]

21. Video report from WISH-TV, CBS affiliate in Indianapolis ----

(Posted on HuffPo)


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/11/indianapolis-explosion_n_2111740.html

[wellspring]

22. Video report from WRTV, ABC affiliate in Indianapolis -----

[OakCliffDem]

23. Looks suspicious

If I were to put on my tin foil hat , I would think this is the outcome of some Timothy McVeigh amateur bomb makers preparing to show their dissatisfaction with the reelection of our President. During the assembly process, there was a catastrophic malfunction in the device, and it 'sploded ala Greenwich Village townhouse on March 6, 1970

[nc4bo]

25. Have some thoughts, none of them good. Hoping the truth gets out.

Wondering if any DUers are familiar with this area and wouldn't mind sharing their thoughts.

I feel so bad for those who live in this subdivision and hope no innocent lives were lost.

This is a nightmare!

[wellspring]

28. University of Missippi students riot against Obama victory -----

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014294141

[nc4bo]

29. Just read a post upthread that said gas leak. That's a mainline

there is just no way a household leak could cause this much damage, could it?

or..............

Here's to thorough investigations!

[AngryOldDem]

36. They don't know what caused it because the gas company can't get to where it happened.

I was reading comments on the Indianapolis Star site and a couple of people mentioned that when houses are vacant, thieves will sometimes take the outside gas hookups, which could result in leaks. Don't know if any of these houses were vacant but that could also be a cause.

Someone else here mentioned decaying gas pipelines. That is my thought as well. Nope, crumbling infrastructure is just not important enough of an issue to take seriously. But, Citizens Gas said it had no reports of odor in the neighborhood before it happened; I would think that with a blast this large there would have been some prior warning.

Locally, nobody knows much else than was was reported earlier this morning.

[Eleanors38]

44. A house blew up in North Austin, damaging others around it, IIRC one death...

"just" a line leading in from the curb and underground, company was on notice about the leak.

[Myrina]

46. I'm in Indy & honestly I think it was a suburban meth lab that went boom.

n/t

[nc4bo]

48. Why in the world would anyone cook meth in a crowded subdivision? Good grief that's dumb

and dangerous. Don't just kill yourself or your family but take the neighbors for a ride too.

[Myrina]

50. You really expect folks in that industry

To have a coherent thought process or give a crap about neighbors?

One of the local news channels had an HVAC guy on & he noted the house was vacant and maybe a prospective buyer either turned the gas fireplace on & didnt know how to, or forgot to, turn it off & the house had some time to fill up w/ gas. I buy that.

[nc4bo]

51. Hehe - I know a cook, he's nuts!

He prefers the woods, old trailers, the woods and the woods but hey, they can play fast and loose so I get what you're saying. I remember a few years ago, on my way to work the nightshift, driving downtown Green St. Fayetteville, I caught that smell........so again, good point you made.

I think I found an update:

http://www.wthr.com/story/20067614/explosion-victims-believed-to-be-greenwood-teacher-husband

NDIANAPOLIS -

Indianapolis Metro Police have not made official identification of the two people killed in Saturday night's explosion on the south side, but they are believed to be Jennifer and Dion Longworth.

Jennifer was a second grade teacher at Southwest Elementary School in Greenwood. Classes will be delayed by two hours Monday morning at all Greenwood schools, and a candlelight vigil was planned at Southwest Elementary at 7:00 pm.

Meantime, investigators are trying to determine the cause of the explosion.

Seems the gas leak may be what they're concentrating on. I'm sure there are many trying to CYA while investigators continue their work.

So so sad.

[Divernan]

31. Inter and intra state natural gas delivery lines are ancient and crumbling.

There have been massive explosions in a number of states, caused by dangerously decaying cast iron gas lines, dating back a century. A large number of major, interstate natural gas lines criss cross under our towns and communities. Whether rusting cast iron which burst under pressure, or steel pipes not able to handle the freeze and thaw of weather cycle, there are multiple disasters waiting to happen. The article below details specific examples.


http://www.wsws.org/articles/2011/feb2011/ngas-f16.shtml
US: Three natural gas explosions, one fatal, in Ohio-Pennsylvania area
By James Brewer
16 February 2011
"In a public statement Chris Kozak, a spokesman for Columbia Gas in Toledo, Ohio, pointed out that a large number of major and interstate gas lines pass through the Ohio area. He said that if one of those lines goes down or explodes “an entire community could be destroyed.” He said that the old-style steel pipes, like the ones in Allentown, are not able to handle the “thaw and freeze or the ebb and flow of the ground” as well as the new-style flexible pipes, which are made of plastic and are less likely to crack.

"However, a large-scale examination of infrastructure, i.e., a serious and in-depth emergency investigation and upgrading of the gas delivery infrastructure, is precisely what is required. The lack of regulation of the private companies who control public utilities for profit has led to a state of affairs where the natural gas pipelines that service the entire country are old, outdated and decaying.

"The devastating blast in the California neighborhood of San Bruno last September brought to light a disgraceful and corrupt system run by utility giant Pacific Gas and Electric Corp. (PG&E), in which public funds designated for the upgrading of the dangerously decayed gas pipelines were pocketed by the company. Residents had been complaining of a strong smell of gas for weeks before the fatal explosion.

[nc4bo]

32. Between the big gas and water lines there's the electric grid, subways, railroads, bridges

dams, reservoirs really the entire country is due for huge rehab.

We need a New Deal.

[Divernan]

34. Rebuild US' infrastructure, not Iraq's.

The US should stop playing the world's policeman and/or paying through the nose to war profiteers via privatization of the military, and devote funding to taking care of domestic crises.
Or one might say, stop destroying other countries' infrastructures and start repairing and rebuilding our own.

[valerief]

35. Can a meth lab do this? nt

[SemperEadem]

37. that's where my mind was going, too.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

38. Very probably not, but a truckload fertilizer bomb could. nt

[ManiacJoe]

39. Some daytime pics

Posted elsewhere...

[Liberal_in_LA]

42. omg

[nc4bo]

43. Holy Fuck! Looks like a big bomb went BOOM.

And they screwed up some kind of way and almost killed half the neighborhood in the process.

Exactly what were they getting ready to do in that house?

[sarcasmo]

69. My first thought, someone was trying to build a good size bomb.

[Posteritatis]

52. Looks less like a leak and more like orbital bombardment. Ow. (nt)

[amandabeech]

65. There's some crazy site with a Russian-sounding name

that asserts that a CIA drone was on its way to take out a couple of Army installations in the are and fired on this neighborhood in error.

There's your bombardment!

[WilliamPitt]

60. Jesus. Matchsticks.

Wow.

[AngryOldDem]

40. Updated story -- investigation could "take weeks"

http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/news/local/marion_county/home-explosion-kills-two-on-south-side


Comments section is interesting. Some curiosity about ATF being called in.

[jtuck004]

49. Other than in war zones, this scene reminds me of the way things looked when T. McVeigh blew

up his fertilizer bomb in Oklahoma City, especially that day picture showing the damage and debris..

[valerief]

55. Like someone went into their ammunition room (cuz every American needs a firearm room and

ammunition room nowadays) and flipped a lit cigarette?

[nc4bo]

57. Weeks?

Then there was a comment a LEO made telling people not to be so quick to blame it on a gas leak.

I admit to not hearing much about other gas leaks causing homes to blow up, I wonder if it took "weeks" for investigators and authorities to confirm the cause as a leak in those situations.

[Blue_Tires]

61. The NTSB is usually very thorough

It took some time to pinpoint the cause of the Humberto Vidal Explosion
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humberto_Vidal_Explosion

[nc4bo]

63. How horrible.

Very tragic and I see what you're saying about the time it takes to investigate.

[GrantDem]

56. WTHR confirms that the NTSB is now investigating

http://www.wthr.com/story/20067901/source-of-indianapolis-explosion-still-unknown

[muriel_volestrangler]

58. Which means, in this case, that gas is the suspected cause, not a plane

How strange that the National Transportation Safety Board's remit include pipelines.

[AngryAmish]

59. I was going to add my uninformed speculation, but folks above beat me to it.

Some years ago in Chicago an entire neighborhood blew up because the gas company did not install a step-down valve and sent gas main pressure methane into everyone's houses. (I'm sure I'm getting the terminology wrong but the principle was a gas main has higher pressure than local services and the big mains are higher than smaller local mains.)

When I first hear this I thought it was something along those lines. But now, I am going to go with someone was making a giant OK City type bomb and it blew up too early.

[happyslug]

64. The Indianapolis tax site, demands fees to find out how old is the home

Actual Web Site for the home:

https://www.biz.indygov.org/treasurer/property/reportOptions.aspx?sn=522a6659b8214e54b61050e9732b31a3&styp=addr&prcl=5039002

Web Site to look at other properties:
https://www.biz.indygov.org/treasurer/property/propSearch.aspx?sn=522a6659b8214e54b61050e9732b31a3

Zillow says the house was built in 2003 (but also says it was "Last Remodeled" in 2003:
http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/8349-Fieldfare-Way-Indianapolis-IN-46237/67858155_zpid/

Thus this looks like a newer home, most such gas leaks and blasts occur in older homes with older furnaces. Most such blasts involve much older homes with much older furnaces.

[Myrina]

66. Local news channel last night also reported, from property records:

The owners tried to declare bankruptcy in 2007 but were unsuccessful. They tried to short-sell the house last year but were unsuccessful, and it recently went into foreclosure.

Sounds like a pretty obvious case of "we're out of options and need insurance money to GTF outta dodge". Although I suspect they just intended to burn it down, not incinerate the entire neighborhood.

Would leaving a bunch of candles lit and messing the with furnace line or fireplace line be enough to make it go boom?

Looks like their little scheme could end up resulting in a shit-ton of criminal charges.

[nc4bo]

68. Also the 2 people killed and those injured..

This is absolutely dreadful.