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Tag: washington gas

  • Remaining families evacuated near Centerville home explosion could be back home by Tuesday night – WTOP News

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    The remaining families forced to evacuate due to a gas leak and home explosion in Centerville, Virginia, will be able to return to their homes soon.

    The remaining families forced to evacuate due to a gas leak and home explosion in Centerville, Virginia, will be able to return to their homes soon.

    Assistant Chief of Operations for Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Eric Craven says final testing is wrapping up at the homes of the remaining 19 families displaced.

    “We anticipate that most of these will be cleared for reoccupation within the next 24 hours. We will not move forward until the conditions support it,” Craven said.

    The explosion happened Feb. 9 on Quail Pond Court, injuring the person living in the home and their neighbor.

    Speaking at a recent news conference, Jason Weekley, senior vice president of utility operations for Washington Gas, tried to reassure residents who live in the area about their work to fix the leak.

    “We’ve conducted multiple safety surveys, multiple leak surveys, so we’re very confident in the safety of the system in this area,” Weekley said.

    Weekley described a multipoint process that’s been used by Washington Gas since the explosion to determine if it’s safe to allow people to return.

    He declined to comment about reports of smells of gas in the area, some occurring the day before the explosion.

    Weekley said the National Transportation Safety Board will issue a final report on the cause of leak, the explosion and next steps for safety in about 30 days.

    After a week of testing, Washington Gas found and repaired the source of the gas leak.

    “Investigators identified a section of polyethylene plastic pipe near the corner of Quail Pond Court and Belle Plains Drive that leaked air during pressure testing,” the NTSB said in a news release.

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    Kyle Cooper

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  • Utility company finds, repairs gas leak following Centreville house explosion – WTOP News

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    Nine days after a house explosion in Centreville, Virginia, Washington Gas says it has found and repaired the source of the leak.

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    More residents returning home following Centreville house explosion

    Nine days after a house explosion in Centreville, Virginia, Washington Gas said it has found and repaired the source of the gas leak.

    Residents who live near the house explosion on Quail Pond Court were forced out of their homes as officials investigated which of the five gas pipelines in the neighborhood may have contributed to the blast on Feb. 15.

    “After completing multiple pressure tests, we gradually reintroduced gas into the
    system and conducted a leak survey at each stage,” Washington Gas said Tuesday.

    The National Transportation Safety Board has led the investigation and plans to release a report within 30 days.

    “Investigators identified a section of polyethylene plastic pipe near the corner of Quail Pond Court and Belle Plains Drive that leaked air during pressure testing,” the NTSB said in a news release.

    The NTSB said a section of the pipe will be tested at a laboratory in D.C. to figure out what caused its failure.

    According to the safety board, its team directed Washington Gas to test the surrounding area and no additional leaks were found.

    Tuesday morning, crews from Fairfax County Fire and Rescue were on the scene, conducting safety checks in the neighborhood.

    “With all checks completed and in coordination with our customers, we have begun restoring service and relighting appliances for the remaining homes,” Washington Gas said.

    Many of the impacted residents have been given the all-clear to return home, but Washington Gas said 19 homes are still under the evacuation order.

    On Sunday, the agency said clearance had been granted to restore gas service to 42 of the 44 impacted homes in the neighborhood.

    Most of the nearby homes had their gas service cut after the blast, which left two people with minor injuries and displaced residents.

    According to Washington Gas, “The evacuation remains in effect. You should not return to your home until you receive direct communication from Fairfax County officials letting you know it is safe to do so.”

    For homes that remain under the evacuation order, Washington Gas said it will work with the fire department to enter each home, once cleared to do so, to perform a leak check on the home’s gas piping and reactivate appliances safely.

    As a final step, the fire department will conduct a safety check inside each home, and make the determination whether it is safe for residents to return.

    Washington Gas to reimburse displaced residents

    The utility said it will continue to cover temporary lodging for people in the neighborhood who have been out of their homes since the blast.

    In addition, residents who incurred hotel or temporary lodging expenses due to the evacuation are eligible for reimbursement.

    According to Washington Gas: To submit a request, please email ombudsman@washgas.com and include the following:

    • Your name and address
    • Telephone number
    • Dates of displacement
    • Copies of receipts

    The utility said only one set of receipts will be accepted per household, and all reimbursement requests must be received by March 31.

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    © 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Jessica Kronzer

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  • Utility crews start restoring gas service to nearby homes following Centreville house explosion – WTOP News

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    Crews are restoring gas service to homes in Fairfax County, Virginia, nearly a week after a house explosion in Centreville on Feb. 15.

    Utility crews have started restoring gas service to dozens of homes in Fairfax County, Virginia, nearly a week after a house explosion on Quail Pond Court in Centreville on Feb. 15.

    Fairfax County Fire and Rescue said clearance has been granted to restore gas service to 41 additional homes in the neighborhood. Most of nearby homes had their gas service cut after the blast, which left two people with minor injuries and displaced residents from 40 to 50 homes.

    Washington Gas said technicians are moving ahead. “Our technicians are preparing to begin this work and will proceed immediately,” the utility said in a Saturday news release. “Each home will be restored following our established safety protocols, and our teams will be onsite to guide residents through the process and answer any questions.”

    Washington Gas said it is also providing HVAC services if needed will cover the cost of restoring appliances for affected residents.

    About 30 families remained displaced as of Saturday.

    Once gas service is restored, each home will undergo a comprehensive atmospheric monitoring assessment to ensure there are no hazardous gas readings and to confirm the structure is safe to occupy.

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    © 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Tadiwos Abedje

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  • A call for an investigation into Washington Gas over aging pipe replacement project – WTOP News

    A call for an investigation into Washington Gas over aging pipe replacement project – WTOP News

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    Since 2014, Washington Gas has been working to replace the city’s aging gas pipelines in a project called PROJECTpipes. Ten years later, claims of more reported gas leaks has an independent city agency that represents utility customers pushing for the project to be paused and an investigation into it launched.

    Since 2014, Washington Gas Light Company has been working to replace the D.C.’s aging gas pipelines in a project called PROJECTpipes. Ten years later, claims of more reported gas leaks has an independent city agency that represents utility customers pushing for the project to be paused and an investigation into it be launched.

    “Over the past 10 years, that project has not done well … at all. It has been mismanaged,” said Laurence Daniels, director of litigation for the Office of the People’s Council (OPC) of Washington D.C.

    The call for a probe into Washington Gas is being made in a petition to the D.C. Public Service Commission. OPC said that since the replacement project started, the city has seen an increase in Grade 1 gas leaks, which are the most severe.

    “In 2014, the number of Grade 1 leaks was 689. In the two most recent reports — years 2021, the number of Grade 1 leaks was 1,019 and in 2022, the number was 969,” the petition stated.

    Daniels said, in addition to more gas leaks, the number of pipes that have been replaced are below projections and budgets have not been in line with what was proposed initially.

    This petition also comes as WGL proposes spending $671.8 million over the next five years for the next phase of the project, according to Daniels. The spending, if approved, would be paid for by hikes in bills for gas users.

    Also sent as support for an investigation was a Feb. 7 letter from 10 members of D.C.’s Council, which raised concerns about the replacement project.

    “PROJECTpipes does not align with the new, fossil-free future that the Council has charted,” the council members’ letter stated.

    Daniels said the future charted by the council would require infrastructure improvements that support more electric use as residents opt for fewer gas appliances and vehicles and instead convert to more electric options.

    “The council is very concerned that putting all this new pipe into the ground is very expensive. And it’s also going to be for a network that is going to be phased out in favor of an electrified network,” Daniels said.

    In its letter, the city council also questioned whether repairs would be a more cost-effective option to address concerns with old gas pipes.

    Daniels said the People’s Council agrees with the city council that a discussion needs to happen to make sure the continued work aligns with the city’s future energy goals, since ratepayers are paying for the work.

    “Safety is paramount, but we had to make sure that we do this in a way that is cost efficient to ratepayers,” Daniels said.

    The commission has turned down two previous similar petitions, but Daniels believes this one, especially with the support from the city council, will come with a different result.

    In a statement to WTOP, Washington Gas said it takes its continuing obligation to provide safe and reliable service to all who use the service seriously.

    “We are reviewing and will respond to OPC’s petition as warranted,” spokesperson Andre Francis wrote in an email.

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    © 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Mike Murillo

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