Officials: New Hampshire House Explosion Caused by Gas Leak

New Hampshire fire officials say a house explosion that killed an elderly Manchester man last year was caused by a gas leak inside the home.

Eighty-five-year-old Joseph Byk was killed on Feb. 24, 2009, when the house exploded and caught fire.

The New Hampshire State Fire Marshal’s office said Friday that a fractured pipe was leaking gas into the basement.

State Fire Marshal William Degnan said that Byk had been clearing ice and snow from the roof of his home the day before and the force of the snow and ice on exterior gas meter may have caused the pipe to crack.

Degnan also said investigators found that Byk often used moth ball’s inside his home and the odor may have prevented him from smelling the gas leak.