Pair burned in natural gas explosion

The owners of a heating and air conditioning business were burned Friday morning in an explosion fueled by a natural gas leak, the Spokane Fire Department reported.

The leak was in an underground Avista natural gas line, and the fuel drifted through the ground and into an office at Cougar Mechanical, 3818 E. Joseph Ave., said Spokane fire investigator Lt. Chris Phillips in a telephone recording.

The explosion occurred about 7:15 a.m. when Monte Yockey attempted to light an incense stick in his office, said his wife, Katie Yockey.

Katie Yockey said a flash went though Monte Yockey’s office and into a second room where she was, then back to the office. Employees helped douse flames left by the explosion.

Katie Yockey drove her husband to Holy Family Hospital where they were treated for first- and second-degree burns to their faces, hands and arms. Both were released Friday and are expected to make full recoveries, though Monte Yockey will need further treatment.

Katie Yockey said the family is grateful the outcome wasn’t worse, given the seriousness of the explosion.

“There were no signs of danger,” she said.

Avista crews found the leak late Friday afternoon after searching for it much of the day, said Catherine Markson, Avista spokeswoman. The company is investigating the cause of the leak.

Phillips said the explosion forced a wall to move several inches and caused other minor damage. Katie Yockey said the business is fully operational and remains open.

Being in the heating and air conditioning business, the Yockeys know the warning signs of a natural gas leak, Katie Yockey said.

But they and other employees who had been inside the business Friday morning didn’t smell anything out of the ordinary.

“There was no sign, just an explosion,” Katie Yockey said. “We work with (natural gas) every day. We know the signs of it.”

Although natural gas doesn’t have a scent, it is mixed with a rotten egg odor so that people can recognize a problem. However, in some instances the odor can separate from the gas, Phillips said.

“As it migrates through the soil it’s not unusual for the odor to scrub free from the gas,” Phillips said.

Markson said that anyone who smells rotten eggs in a building should leave immediately and call Avista from a neighbor’s.