I was finishing up my article last night around 8:00 pm when I heard a large boom and our house shook. I wondered whether my mind was playing tricks. We have farms near our house that like to set off fireworks and shoot their guns. I assumed someone set off an M80 or something. I later found out a 9,000 square foot home in Gladwyne blew up. That is 20 miles from my house. It seems impossible I would feel and hear that explosion in my house, but thousands of people heard and felt it from South Jersey to Northern Montgomery County. It’s amazing how far sound waves can travel.
GLADWYNE, PA – Police said the massive explosion heard for miles that destroyed a Gladwyne mansion was the result of a natural gas issue and authorities are still investigating the blast.
According to Lower Merion Township Police, a vacant home at 649 Dodds Lane in Gladwyne exploded at about 8 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 4.
Police later said it was a natural gas explosion that destroyed the 8,000-square foot mansion, which was last sold for $3.4 million in 2008, according to Realtor.com.
PECO said there is no danger of leaks to neighboring homes in the area and that the exact cause of the explosion is to be determined.
Luckily, no one was hurt in the explosion, according to police. Action News reports the residents were staying in a carriage house on the property.
Authorities are continuing to probe the massive explosion at the home which was undergoing renovations, according to NBC10.
6ABC reports calls to 911 about the explosion came in from as far as New Jersey and that debris from the blast hit nearby homes and damaged trees.
About 75 percent of the home was lost, according to CBS Philadelphia.
Police said local, state, and federal agencies are investigating the explosion.
Patch has reached out to Lower Merion Police for information on the explosion and will update the story when details are made available.
The Gladwyne Fire Company has shared a photo that shows a home in Gladwyne completely destroyed by an explosion. No one was inside, according to the homeowner who called 911. He said there was a gas leak. Reports indicate It could be heard – and sometimes felt – as far away as NJ pic.twitter.com/Pp0C3X7Jwr
— Ricky ''Reports'' Sayer (@RickyReports) November 5, 2018
Lost a window pane in the explosion in #Gladwyne @6abc @CBSPhilly @NBCPhiladelphia pic.twitter.com/Q6LFTLlsEm
— Larry Borden (@larrywborden) November 5, 2018
Image via Google (NOTE: this a 3D view of the home that was captured before Sunday’s incident)
The magic number for natural gas explosion is about 5% – 12% – above or below it won’t explode.
Could it be ‘Jewish Lighting?’
Could be “jewish lightning”…it wouldn’t surprise me.
However, there may be another explanation.
The National Electrical Code in the United States is formulated by the National Fire Protection Association. Most municipalities and states adopt the NEC as their “standard” for electrical building codes.
The “electrical code” was updated, requiring “bonding” gas piping to the electrical grounding system.
In my humble opinion, this is a mistake as all it takes is a “loose gas connection” and a “ground fault” within the electrical system to cause a spark–BOOM!
I am of the opinion that gas piping should NEVER be bonded.
By the way, I am a professional electrician with over 40 years experience and know what I am talking about.
Ah, dutchbag ( douche bag) chimes in from his basement hovel at moms house in hillbilly, MN. You wouldn’t know Jewish lightning from evangelical thunder so give it up and ask mom when the meatloaf is ready.
“Christian” lightning. ?
They sold out to the insurance company.
I’m sure it was an accident. With the real estate market for luxury home in the dumpster, the easiest way to get your “investment” out of that house is to call Guido and Vinny and have them check the house for gas leaks.
Just sayin’
Natural gas? No way that kind of explosion could come from a household NG supply…Maybe a lot of propane…
Let me guess, owners name ends in “stein” and they took out a 2nd insurance policy on the house two months ago….
Luckily, he was fully insured.
Attention all personnel: I gave you motherfuckers the EXACT address and you idiots blow up the wrong house 20 miles away!!?
Man, they sure are getting aggressive dealing with people shit-posting spicy pepe memes on Gab.
Background checks for natural gas!
Anyone with half a brain knows it can serve as a demolition tool and a plausibly deniable way to defraud insurance companies.
That’s what happens when you light a match in a tiny bathroom after depositing three bowls of chili in the toilet .
Any connection to those dozens of natural gas explosions farther east a couple of months ago?? Distribution pipeline problems???