Local Alert: Faulty gas vent to blame in 2016 Silver Spring apartment explosion that killed seven, federal investigators say

The failure allowed gas to build up inside a basement meter room until it encountered something that sparked the explosion, the National Transportation Safety Board's chief investigator told the agency's board Tuesday. The vent was owned by Washington Gas and was its responsibility, investigators said, adding that other breakdowns — including failure to communicate and to distribute the key to a new lock on the meter room — also contributed to the tragedy. Lawsuits over the Aug. 10, 2016, explosion at Flower Branch Apartments have pitted dozens of low-income, Spanish-speaking residents against their landlord, Kay Management, as well as Washington Gas.

Democracy Dies in Darkness     Local Alert Apr 23, 12:08 PM     Faulty gas vent to blame in 2016 Silver Spring apartment explosion that killed seven, federal investigators say The failure allowed gas to build up inside a basement meter room until it encountered something that sparked the explosion, the National Transportation Safety Board's chief investigator told the agency's board Tuesday. The vent was owned by Washington Gas and was its responsibility, investigators said, adding that other breakdowns — including failure to communicate and to distribute the key to a new lock on the meter room — also contributed to the tragedy. Lawsuits over the Aug. 10, 2016, explosion at Flower Branch Apartments have pitted dozens of low-income, Spanish-speaking residents against their landlord, Kay Management, as well as Washington Gas. Read more » Advertisement You received this email because you signed up for news alerts from The Washington Post. Manage my newsletters and alerts | Unsubscribe Privacy Policy | Help ©2019 The Washington Post, 1301 K St NW, Washington DC 20071