SALT LAKE CITY — An early morning explosion rocked a Salt Lake City neighborhood near the intersection of North Temple and Redwood Road on Monday, with authorities believing it was caused by natural gas.
A call was received at approximately 3:15 a.m. about an explosion near 1704 W. North Temple. When crews arrived, they reported a smell of gas in the air and started checking on the nearby buildings.
Four fire trucks were dispatched to the scene.
While there was no active fire at the time, officials said they found structural damage to a Chevron gas station, including damaged walls and windows that had been blown out.
Watch: Officials discuss investigation into explosion
"We don't know what happened or how it happened or where the origin of the gas leak was, but it does look like preliminary findings show that there's a decent probability of a natural gas incident," said Salt Lake City Fire Division Chief Bob Silverthorne.
Silverthorne added that it appeared the explosion itself may have blown out any fire that was started.
Enbridge Gas (formerly Dominion Energy) crews cut the gas to four buildings in the vicinity of the explosion.
No injuries were reported due to the explosion, and gas company employees remained on the scene with investigators to determine the exact cause of the explosion. The building will remain closed until it's deemed safe.
Chris Parker, the director of Salt Lake City's Division of Public Utilities, said Enbridge Gas has a good safety record.
“Our inspectors are constantly working with them, so they’ve got an inspection schedule every year for every one of the Enbridge regions in the state," Parker said.
He added that they don't see natural gas explosions often.
“An explosion is rare because natural gas is lighter than air, so it tends to dissipate quite quickly, and it’s got a relatively high ignition point," he explained.
To steer clear of natural gas incidents, Parker urges the public to call 811 — or "Blue Stakes" — a call before digging.
“Most of the damage to utility facilities are due to people either not calling Blue Stakes before they dig or to people disregarding the marks when they dig,” he said.
