Family forced from home after ruptured gas line sparks fire

MATTHEWS, N.C. — Crews were still repairing a busted natural gas line Thursday in Matthews after it caused a towering inferno the day before.

Pike Energy crews were on site Thursday, digging a hole when they hit the pipe. A short time later, a spark from power lines above ignited the natural gas, which caused a massive flame to shoot upward for about three hours near Pleasant Plains Road and Morningwood Drive.

The flames damaged two nearby homes.

A family can’t live in their house at the moment because of fire, water, and smoke damage.

A woman lived there with three children and pets. They are now looking for permanent housing.

They were given a voucher by The American Red Cross to get a hotel room on Wednesday night, but told Channel 9 they were unable to use it because none of the hotels that accepted it were pet-friendly.

They are staying with friends, because they didn’t want to be separated from their dog and cats, traumatized by the fire.

Channel 9 has asked if the companies involved will help the homeowners with the damage that was caused.

Action 9: What to do if a utility company damages your property:

First step, contact your own renters or homeowners’ insurance, even if it wasn’t your fault.

You should do that because they can walk you through the process and get emergency arrangements rolling.

If it’s someone else’s fault, they’ll either tell you what to do differently or go after the insurance company that covers the party who was to blame in a subrogation.

If you end up filing a claim with the other party’s insurance directly, that may take some legwork.

Chances are, your insurance will take care of you in the short-term.

In the long-term, you could end up being a party in a lawsuit against the contractor or whoever hired them, typically for negligence.

What does that mean for you?

Keep good records, photos, videos, and receipts.

If you must pay because of the situation, document it.

Don’t assume anything is too small.

0 of 7