Two people have been killed in a house explosion reportedly caused when a heat pump borehole released methane gas at a nearby property. The BBC has the story.
A 100m (328ft) borehole close to the scene of a fatal explosion and house fire is being filled with cement to ensure it is “gas tight”, according to safety officers.
Eighty-five year-old Paul Swales died in the blast at Cleat Hill in Bedford on October 19th. Julia Harris, 84, died in hospital of her injuries 10 days later.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said a plug of 15m (49ft) had been placed in the borehole and it was “confident the cement is holding the gas back”.
A British Geological Survey team, which has been on site since October 21st, said it was continuing to monitor the area for gas and said that since filling work began gas levels had been reducing.
Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, which has maintained a 24-hour presence at the scene, said it had “yet to determine the exact cause” of the explosion but that investigations were continuing.
The explosion occurred in the same area where, on July 2nd, contractors struck a pocket of natural gas while drilling a borehole to install a heat pump, causing the evacuation of nearby properties.
A separate ongoing investigation is under way into the circumstances of the July leak. …
John Finley, from the Ground Source Heat Pump Association (GSHPA), said: “This is the only occurrence of shallow gas known in over 25 years of GSHP operations in the U.K.”
He said it was a “tragic event” that was being taken seriously.
“Where necessary we will make changes, modify standards and procedures, already in use,” he said.
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