Propane Leak Likely Cause of Kentucky Explosion

The most likely cause of a fatal house explosion in Murray is a leak in a liquid propane line, the Kentucky State Fire Marshal said.

Fire Marshal Bill Swope told the Murray Ledger & Times it appears that a leak in the line running beneath a single-story house triggered the explosion late on the night of Sept. 14. Killed in the blast was 71-year-old Kenneth Story. Four other people were injured.

Swope said the line was connected to an LP tank outside the residence that was apparently being connected to a wall-mounted ventless heater that was installed inside the house sometime earlier.

“There’s no way to know how long the fuel had been collecting under the house and it doesn’t appear that they really could’ve known it was happening,” Swope said. “It’s a reminder that these are things that need to be checked, especially as we’re heading into October when a lot of heating units are going to start being used. That’s my advice anyway.”

Kentucky State Police spokesman Jay Thomas says investigators haven’t found any signs of foul play.

Swope said, to his knowledge, his office has handled five to 10 house explosion calls in the past two years throughout Kentucky.

“One, though, is one too many,” he said. “It’s always sad when you have one of these happen.”

The explosion was the second fatal such incident in Calloway County since a house was destroyed just outside of Murray in December 1998. One person died from injuries sustained in that explosion.