Deadly Indiana house explosion traced to leaking gas line

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) — Officials say an August house explosion that killed three people in a southern Indiana neighborhood has been ruled accidental after investigators traced the blast to a leaking natural gas line in the home’s basement. The Indiana State Fire Marshal said Wednesday its joint investigation with the Evansville Fire Department into the Aug. 10 explosion determined the leaking gas line “was found uncapped, with the valve in the open position.” Investigators said gas line meter data “showed a sharp increase in gas usage beginning two days before the blast.” Testing found that the gas lines between the home’s meter and the mainlines of the local utility, CenterPoint Energy, were in “proper working order.”