Mysterious Explosions

[Image courtesy of PennLive.com]

IN regards to the now-famous explosion that killed two people, destroyed three homes, and left 81 other homes uninhabitable, there has been much controversy swirling around the ensuing investigation.  It seems some people think that there is something more going on than a simple gas explosion, but I haven't really looked into it in any depth to determine whether the usual "government cover-up" conspiracy theory has wormed its way into the national discussion. Nor do I care to. The photo linked into this article (from PennLive.com) was from an explosion which occurred while I was living in Allentown. It occurred in a development located in a bend in the Little Lehigh across from the downtown, south of Ward Street. The blast completely leveled the house at 1341 St John Street, and the two homes on either side were condemned. Two brothers, Cesar Coto and Miguel Irizarry, were in the house at the time of the explosion. Coto was found under some boards by a neighbor, and Irizarry was found in the basement by rescuers. Both men were taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital and released the next day, having been treated for minor cuts and bruises.

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2008/11/allentown_house_is_destroyed_i.html

So, why am I telling you about this? Actually, I'm not 100% sure. The blast in Indiana recalled it to memory, and I wanted to mention it, but it's too lengthy for a Facebook or Twitter blurb. The case interested me because it was local, because the two brothers were relatively unharmed, and because at the time my best friend was at the height of her Heroes obsession. (I can't remember which of us first drew the parallel between the two brothers and Claire Bennet. For about a week after that I was like Mr. Glass, searching the Internet for more stories about miraculous survivals.)

But more intriguing than any of that was the mysterious circumstances which caused the blast. No gas leaks were discovered, and there was no evidence of methamphetamine manufacturing equipment or bomb-making supplies. In fact, the best explanation that investigators could produce was methane leaking up from an old landfill, which filled the house and caused the explosion. Methane is a colorless, odorless gas, which is supplied to homes by some gas companies for cooking and heating (propane and butane are also used). A mercaptan compound is added to provide the tell-tale "gas" odor, so that leaks can be detected by mere scent (the human nose can detect ethanethiol at concentrations of only 2.8 parts per billion). If there had been a leak from commercial gas supplies, someone in the neighborhood would have likely smelled it -- certainly the two men who were in the house at the time of the explosion. Fire investigators have conceded in numerous cases that people don't always smell gas before a gas explosion occurs. But if it were straight methane, nobody would have smelled anything beforehand.

It's possible there may be an ancient landfill under that land. It's also possible that the developers could have used unqualified fill material when they built the community. It's even possible there could have been a leak from a gas pocket under the city -- Allentown sits on a large limestone deposit overlaying Devonian shale formations, which could hold untapped reserves of  hydrocarbons. However, without detailed historical records or geological surveys, we may never know if there was a natural cause for the explosion. Hypotheses for unnatural causes would be too numerous to list.

I hope this article has made everyone think, and I also hope that you will keep an eye out for any other mysterious explosions in the news and post them in the comments. Remember that life is dangerous, and risk surrounds us at all times. You can take precautions, but like MAD Magazine once said: "You're never really 100% sure that there's not still a chunk of Skylab floating around up there with your name on it." Keep your eyes, ears and nose open, but don't succumb to stress. Life is too short to worry about it's end, which can come suddenly and with no warning whatsoever.