No answers yet in gas main inferno

Officials from Licenses and Inspections, PGW and the fire department spent most of yesterday on Torresdale Avenue sorting through the scene of Tuesday night’s blast that killed one PGW worker and injured five others in the Tacony section, but had few answers yesterday for a reason behind the inferno caused by a 12-inch gas main break.

The explosion happened Tuesday night as PGW workers tried to repair the main leak, rocking several neighborhoods adjacent to the 6900 block of Torresdale. The slain worker was identified in reports as 19-year-old Mark Keeley, but PGW would not confirm that. Three other PGW employees were still listed in critical but stable condition at Temple University Hospital, while the other PGW worker and a firefighter were treated and released.

Yesterday, about 30 people who were forced from their homes due to the blast were allowed back into their houses by L&I, although a few were still without gas service, officials said. Workers also cleared debris from the scene, including a charred PGW truck and a scorched tree.

“It scared the s— out of me. It sounded like someone was kicking in my door,” Tacony resident Earl Brown said.

The investigation into the cause of the explosion is ongoing.