Gas Pipeline Explosion Kills 1, Levels 6 Homes

A gas pipeline exploded and touched off a fire Monday that killed one person, destroyed six houses and damaged 50 others in an affluent subdivision.

Firefighters found the body of Gladys Mills, 84, in the bathroom of a burned-out house near the site of the explosion, said John Spahr, deputy chief of the Lawrence Township Fire Department.

“She was in one of the buildings that was totally destroyed,” he said.

A 35-year-old man suffered thirddegree burns and was hospitalized in good condition.

Construction workers using a backhoe apparently punctured the gas 20-inch main and left 10 to 15 minutes before the explosion in a neighborhood north of the city, Fire Division Chief Tom Smith said. It was not known what touched off the explosion.