Regulators: Ice Triggered Gas Fires in Ohio Town

Ohio regulators say ice caused the buildup in natural gas pressure that triggered a house explosion, fires and an evacuation in the village of Fairport Harbor.

Spokesman Matt Butler with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio says ice that formed in a sensor line caused a gas pressure regulator to fail in Fairport Harbor. Temperatures were well below freezing at the time.

The resulting fires hit at least 15 homes, apartments and other buildings in the community about 30 miles northeast of Cleveland.

Butler tells The News-Herald of Willoughby his agency will file a formal report once its investigation is complete.

The fire department says most people affected by the evacuation have returned to town. But several structures can no longer be occupied.

Information from: The News-Herald