Natural gas leak causes Madison house explosion and collapse

Three people were taken by ambulance to Madison Regional Health after their home collapsed from a gas explosion on Thursday morning.  The three were in the home in the one-thousand block of Northeast 11th Street in Madison when the explosion happened around 11:15 Thursday morning, causing the house to collapse.  Police Chief Justin Meyer said one of the residents suffered minor burns in the incident. 

Fire Chief Randy Minnaert said that the weight of the snow by the home snapped a natural gas line off by the gas meter, which filled the house with gas.  He said he’s not sure what ignited it, but it could’ve been something like a light switch or the furnace turning on.  Minnaert said the explosion blew the windows out and caused the house to collapse.  He said that they were able to get the residents out of the home and to the ambulance, but then it took time to get to the gas line because of the deep snow and having to dig down to it by hand. Minnaert said when they got to the gas line there was a small fire that had started once air got to it, so they had to extinguish that as well.  

He said that this is a good reminder for residents to make sure to scoop out the snow around their natural gas meters on their property.

Minnaert said the home is a total loss, and with it being a part of a twin home, he said the other home may have structural damage as well.    He said that the fire department had three trucks respond to the scene.  Other responders included Madison Ambulance, law enforcement, the gas company, and the city Electric and Street departments.  

February 23, 2023