Yesterday in Evansville, IN, a house exploded that made the national news. I know these type of things are rare but they do happen and they are usually blamed on some type of gas leak in the house. Plus, three occupants were killed in this explosion which prompts my question,...how could that much gas accumulate inside this house without the occupants knowing about it? Gas leaking inside a house actually smells like rotten eggs and I wondering why those 3 people did not notice all of the gas in the house before someone probably lit a cigarette?

of course, it is always possible that you have a crazy tenant off his rocker who messes with the gas line.

As a contractor and licensed plumber, I've found situations where the gas leak smell was confined to closed off area's and when the gas level was high enough to cause an explosion, it was too late to detect the presence of gas.

One example a kitchen was remodeled by a contractor that ran the gas line from one area to the relocated oven/stove thru the attic. The plumber didn't or forgot to use pipe sealing compound on a fitting and the leak over a weekend finally allowed someone (me) to notice when I stuck my head in the attic.

During a turnover, I noticed an old gas valve that was no longer used (it was originally for copper line to gas dryer, that was supplanted by black steel pipe). I put a cap on it but didn't bother sealing it.

well, the new tenant tried the stove, the burners didn't immediately light because the stove hadn't been used in a couple months. So instead of waiting and trying again, the tenant went in the basement, saw the valve (that was capped and not connected to anything) and decided to turn it on. Thankfully they turned it off when they smelled the gas and called me

David said "So if you are insured , I would not worry about anything".

Ever hung out with smokers before? Their sense of smell is often dulled.

Or, with the legalization of weed across much of the country, the odor of gas could be undetected when someone has a few lit roaches creating that overpowering sweaty/sweet aroma one finds at Grateful Dead (and most other) concerts.

Or they could've just been drunk or stoned off their minds.

Or the house could have been a hoarder's paradise and the odor of rotten trash accumulated to where the stinky egg smell was passed over as just another smell from their "treasures."

Nothing's guaranteed in life except death and taxes.

Natural gas is lighter than air, propane is heavier and can pool in low spots.

You can have a basement full of propane and not know it.

We had a local Mensa member who was running a propane dryer off a 100 pound tank he dragged into the basement. Mensa man used rubber fuel line to carry the propane. The line leaked. He lived, the house was totaled.

Natural gas is lighter than air, propane is heavier and can pool in low spots.

You can have a basement full of propane and not know it.

We had a local Mensa member who was running a propane dryer off a 100 pound tank he dragged into the basement. Mensa man used rubber fuel line to carry the propane. The line leaked. He lived, the house was totaled.

Natural gas is lighter than air, propane is heavier and can pool in low spots.

You can have a basement full of propane and not know it.

We had a local Mensa member who was running a propane dryer off a 100 pound tank he dragged into the basement. Mensa man used rubber fuel line to carry the propane. The line leaked. He lived, the house was totaled.

Natural gas is lighter than air, propane is heavier and can pool in low spots.

You can have a basement full of propane and not know it.

We had a local Mensa member who was running a propane dryer off a 100 pound tank he dragged into the basement. Mensa man used rubber fuel line to carry the propane. The line leaked. He lived, the house was totaled.

Natural gas is lighter than air, propane is heavier and can pool in low spots.

You can have a basement full of propane and not know it.

We had a local Mensa member who was running a propane dryer off a 100 pound tank he dragged into the basement. Mensa man used rubber fuel line to carry the propane. The line leaked. He lived, the house was totaled.

Natural gas is lighter than air, propane is heavier and can pool in low spots.

You can have a basement full of propane and not know it.

We had a local Mensa member who was running a propane dryer off a 100 pound tank he dragged into the basement. Mensa man used rubber fuel line to carry the propane. The line leaked. He lived, the house was totaled.

Roy, three people killed? How horrible!

This happens every few years in the general region I live in. When it happens "in town", it's usually the better part of an entire city block that ends up being demo'ed because the shock disrupts foundations up and down the street.

We just had a house explosion in a Minneapolis suburb. A married couple in their 80s were killed. Turns out he had replaced his water heater himself. Speculation is he also had to disconnect the dryer gas line and didn't reconnect it.

Had a contractor CUT into a propane line. It was only a 200 gallon tank....which they thought was empty By the time it drained there was an ICE formation on the tank.

Sinus/allergy is another reason for loss of sense of smell. And, that can be funny. My grandkids and I have been studying smells of different plants this summer as one of our activities. When my allergies are up, I cannot discern walnut leaves, nor spicebush, both very distinctly scented plants. But, I can still smell baby's diapers! Lol!

And, if the gas leak started slowly, occupants could have become 'nose-blind,' just as us pet lovers don't even notice smelly old hound dogs. ( guilty!)

Faulty electrical wiring was listed as top cause of house fires in one article I'd read about an uptick in house fires in my city. Surprised me, as I had seen more news articles about unattended candles. Or, at least that is what stuck in my memory.

That the explosion made national news is likely more because of the rarity of theses events. Just like the unattended candle fires got more press than electrical fires, even though electrical fires are more common.