SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — The weight from snow on roofs has been collapsing buildings, but the weight of the snow on gas lines can be just as dangerous.
Two homes have been destroyed in the Sierra due to the issue. A home in Myers caught fire during the winter storms in March.
A neighbor shared a video of a home engulfed in flames due to a gas explosion. The showed the crackling flames and a smoke detector beeping in the distance. The neighbor said, “Our backyard has half the house in it when it blew up.”
South Lake Tahoe’s Fire Marshal Kim George shared the video with ABC10, explaining how it all happened.
“The gas lines, I don’t want to say fragile but are fairly small, and with that contorting that happens, it tends to break gas lines. With the amount of snow we’ve had, it causes the gas to seep into an area say underneath the house or is trapped by the snow underneath the house and is waiting for an ignition source,” said George.
The home in Meyers is not the only one, another home also went up in flames just weeks before. During the snowstorms, calls about gas lines were significantly higher than previous years.
“Our daily call volume it seems we are running a gas-related incident, whether it’s someone that smells gas or a gas line broken, two to three times day,” said George.
South Lake Tahoe’s Fire Rescue Department wants to remind people to add their gas meter to their list when shoveling their walkway and clearing off their car. If the fire department is called to a home, they can’t begin working until they reach the meter and shut off the gas.
People should use a broom instead of a shovel, but there is also another solution.
“Little sheds around the gas meters, the gas companies do have a waiting list, so it is a little ways out if you are wanting to get one from them. But it saves so much and it could save someone’s life,” said George.
South Lake Tahoe still doesn’t have a full picture of all the damages yet as they continue to wait for the snow to melt.
“As you drive around town, the word I’ve been using to describe it is carnage,” said George.
While Tahoe waits to fully assess all their damage, the Raley’s at Heavenly with the collapsed roof is choosing not to re-open. The company says the store condition and damage will prevent them from reopening before their lease ends in June 2023.
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