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Gas leak ‘contributed’ to Flint home explosion that killed 2 in 2021, cause undetermined

By FOX 2 Staff
Published  September 9, 2022 11:59am EDT
Michigan
FOX 2 Detroit

Aftermath of Flint home explosion

Firefighters in Flint rushed to a neighborhood after an explosion leveled three homes, killing two people including a 3-year-old girl.

FLINT, Mich. (FOX 2) - It's been ten months since a home in Flint suddenly exploded and killed two people, including 3-year-old NuVeah Lucas. According to Michigan State Police, while the cause is still undetermined, a gas leak did originate from the home and contributed to the explosion.

The home on Hogarth Ave in Flint was leveled in a devastating explosion on Nov. 22, 2021. According to a press release from MSP, they determined there was a natural gas leak but, because of the extensive damage and explosion, an exact ignition source couldn't be found. 

MSP's investigation concludes that the gas leak contributed to the explosion but the cause is undetermined.

Investigators reviewed all the evidence from the explosion including the natural gas supply lines and gas appliances. 

NuVeah Lucas, 3, was killed when her home on Hogarth Ave in Flint exploded in November 2021. In September 2022, the Michigan State Police said a gas leak contributed to the explosion but a cause could not be determined.

RELATED: Video shows fatal home explosion in Flint 

A gas leak was expected to have been the cause back in November 2021. The explosion and fire destroyed three homes in Michigan, damaged several others and sent debris falling onto a neighborhood, authorities said.

When the home exploded, NuVeah was inside the home along with her mom and her mom's boyfriend. The two adults survived the blast but with severe burns and injuries. The other person killed was a neighbor, 55-year-old Lisa Rochowiak, who lived in the house next door. 

Three houses were fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived at the scene after 9:30 p.m. Monday. Officials said around 20 houses sustained damage, including broken windows from debris thrown across an entire block by the explosion, which was felt miles away.

Two weeks after the explosion, Southfield Attorney Geoffrey Fieger filed a $50 million lawsuit on behalf of the Rochowiak family against Consumers Energy. Fieger said the fire was caused by negligence on behalf of Consumers Energy.