PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia Gas Works has wrapped up testing its natural gas mains and service pipes in the Port Richmond neighborhood where three homes were destroyed by an explosion.
Although PGW said it found no leaks in its infrastructure around Miller, Gaul, Venango, Atlantic and Belgrade streets, and its pipes are in good working condition, the company is not completely eliminating the possibility of a gas leak as the cause of the blast.
In a statement, PGW said, "It is important to note that, PGW’s control is limited to the infrastructure that ends at the first connection downstream of the gas meter (or the outlet of the natural gas meter). Everything beyond that outlet belongs to the property owner, so PGW is not able to determine the condition or integrity of inside piping or appliances that are beyond the meter."
Residents, however, are still left wondering why the explosion happened.
The early morning New Year's Day explosion rocked the 3500 block of Miller Street, causing injuries to five people.
“A lot of people are traumatized, basically in a state of shock, and not knowing how to handle or deal with this situation which is understandable,” said Ken Paul, president of the Port Richmond on Patrol and Civic group, known as PROPAC.
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“They're saying, ‘OK, it wasn't gas … that isn't helping me.’ People are like, ‘Well if it's not that, then what happened?’”
He participated in a private virtual meeting Wednesday that gave people a space to talk out what happened as they continue to process the aftermath.
“They're reaching out to different organizations or people or city agencies, and they're not getting answers. It's kind of the ‘Don't call me, call this one,’” said Paul. “It's the runaround. Unfortunately, we're not getting the answers that they want.”
Paul said the neighborhood experienced a similar explosion in March 1999. “We went through the same thing,” he said. “Nobody should ever have to go through that.”
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Investigators are still looking into the cause of the explosion. The Fire Marshal’s Office is no longer working at the scene, according to a spokesperson, but is continuing to investigate off-site.
At this point, Paul estimated about 15 homes are boarded up — nobody coming or going.
“We want these people to feel safe and secure in their homes,” he added. “A lot of these homes down there are still not being occupied.”
In addition to a few local fundraisers happening in the coming weeks, Paul said they are still collecting gift cards and will be launching another GoFundMe page this weekend to help the people affected by the tragedy.
“Through thick and thin, they're by each other’s sides.”
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