Neighbors believe the fatal house explosion caused by a natural gas leak Wednesday night in Lexington was the result of negligence.The explosion and fire claimed the life of a 5-year-old boy and caused massive damage to homes in the historic neighborhood.Sarah Rodriguez-Colon, who lives a block east of the home explosion, said she smelled the gas leak.“I smelled it at 5:30 in the afternoon, and the explosion happened at 7:45 in the evening,” she said.Rodriguez-Colon said her daughter also smelled the gas leak at 3:30 p.m., more than four hours before the explosion.“My mother-in-law thought we were being bombed. Like that’s how loud it was,” she said.Investigators say that while installing fiber-optic cable, Sellenriek Construction hit a natural gas line.The company holds an A-minus rating with the Better Business Bureau. However, two reviews on the BBB site give the company the lowest possible rating: one star.One reviewer wrote, “Sellenriek hires subpar out-of-state contractors that do terrible work. No oversight of subcontractors. Zero accountability.”Another reviewer said Sellenriek damaged a road to their home and made it worse after they complained.The reviewer said they emailed the company to get the issue resolved, but wrote, “They haven’t responded.”In addition to the two negative reviews, there’s an unresolved 2023 BBB complaint stating the company replaced utility poles on private property without contacting the owner and created a creek in the process.“They continue to leave poles in my yard and ruin my land with their trucks,” the complaint says.Rebecca Carlyle said her mother was sitting on the porch with Rebecca’s 18-month-old daughter just feet away from a hole where the construction crew was working Wednesday.’Homes were shaking’: Lexington resident says people all over town felt, heard explosion:Carlyle said her mother smelled gas and, along with a neighbor, asked several times if it was safe to remain in their homes. They were told yes.Now, Carlyle’s Victorian home, which her father had been restoring and where she lived for 30 years , is a pile of rubble.Miraculously, even though her home was right next to the exploded house, Carlyle’s mother and daughter were not injured.The explosion was so powerful that a half-block away, Maria Summers’ home, once used as a Civil War hospital, had all of its windows blown out.Summers said she witnessed the horror unfold on Franklin Avenue.“And there’s a huge fire going on. People screaming, running down the street,” she said.“I feel like it was 100% preventable,” Rodriguez-Colon said.A representative from Sellenriek Construction spoke Wednesday at a news conference but did not address how the gas leak occurred or the aftermath.Video below: Full news conference | Lexington officials provide updates on explosion
Neighbors believe the fatal house explosion caused by a natural gas leak Wednesday night in Lexington was the result of negligence.
The explosion and fire claimed the life of a 5-year-old boy and caused massive damage to homes in the historic neighborhood.
Sarah Rodriguez-Colon, who lives a block east of the home explosion, said she smelled the gas leak.
“I smelled it at 5:30 in the afternoon, and the explosion happened at 7:45 in the evening,” she said.
Rodriguez-Colon said her daughter also smelled the gas leak at 3:30 p.m., more than four hours before the explosion.
“My mother-in-law thought we were being bombed. Like that’s how loud it was,” she said.
Investigators say that while installing fiber-optic cable, Sellenriek Construction hit a natural gas line.
The company holds an A-minus rating with the Better Business Bureau. However, two reviews on the BBB site give the company the lowest possible rating: one star.
One reviewer wrote, “Sellenriek hires subpar out-of-state contractors that do terrible work. No oversight of subcontractors. Zero accountability.”
Another reviewer said Sellenriek damaged a road to their home and made it worse after they complained.
The reviewer said they emailed the company to get the issue resolved, but wrote, “They haven’t responded.”
In addition to the two negative reviews, there’s an unresolved 2023 BBB complaint stating the company replaced utility poles on private property without contacting the owner and created a creek in the process.
“They continue to leave poles in my yard and ruin my land with their trucks,” the complaint says.
Rebecca Carlyle said her mother was sitting on the porch with Rebecca’s 18-month-old daughter just feet away from a hole where the construction crew was working Wednesday.
‘Homes were shaking’: Lexington resident says people all over town felt, heard explosion:
Carlyle said her mother smelled gas and, along with a neighbor, asked several times if it was safe to remain in their homes. They were told yes.
Now, Carlyle’s Victorian home, which her father had been restoring and where she lived for 30 years , is a pile of rubble.
Miraculously, even though her home was right next to the exploded house, Carlyle’s mother and daughter were not injured.
The explosion was so powerful that a half-block away, Maria Summers’ home, once used as a Civil War hospital, had all of its windows blown out.
Summers said she witnessed the horror unfold on Franklin Avenue.
“And there’s a huge fire going on. People screaming, running down the street,” she said.
“I feel like it was 100% preventable,” Rodriguez-Colon said.
A representative from Sellenriek Construction spoke Wednesday at a news conference but did not address how the gas leak occurred or the aftermath.
Video below: Full news conference | Lexington officials provide updates on explosion