​​​This information is preliminary and subject to change. Release date: 14 February 2024

On January 24, 2024, about 8:14 a.m., a home explosion and fire occurred at 185 Bristol Blvd. (location 1) in Jackson, Mississippi, resulting in one fatality and one injury.[1] While the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigative team was traveling to the scene, the NTSB learned of a second home explosion and fire. The second explosion occurred at 1146 Shalimar Drive (location 2) about 4:34 a.m. on January 27, 2024, about 0.7 miles southeast of the first explosion, and the fire from the explosion spread to a neighboring home. (See figure.) No fatalities or injuries were reported in relation to the explosion at location 2. All three homes were destroyed. Weather conditions on January 24, 2024, were light to heavy rain and thunderstorms with a temperature of about 62˚F; on January 27, 2024, there was light to heavy rain with a temperature of about 61˚F. Damage estimates were still being determined at the time of report publication.      

​Natural gas service to the affected homes was provided by Atmos Energy Corporation (Atmos). Atmos’ natural gas distribution system near locations 1 and 2 was constructed of 2-inch coated steel main and installed in the 1960s and early 1970s. The operating pressure of the pipeline at the time of the explosions was about 3 36 pounds per square inch gauge (psig) at locations 1 and 2, both below the maximum allowable operating pressure.[2]

Before these explosions, Atmos identified and classified leaks on their distribution system near locations 1 and 2. The leak nearest to location 1 was discovered on November 11, 2023, and classified as a grade-2 leak, meaning that it was nonhazardous but would require repair in the future.[3] The leak nearest to location 2 was discovered on December 1, 2023, and was classified as a grade-3 leak and therefore nonhazardous.[4] Neither leak was repaired before the explosions.

Both before and after NTSB investigators arrived, Atmos conducted postaccident leak inspections at both locations and found leaks on mechanical couplings near the previously identified leaks. Atmos detected subsurface gas at the leaks nearest locations 1 and 2, the homes where the explosions occurred, and near the foundations of adjacent homes.

While on scene, NTSB investigators examined the sites where the explosions and fires occurred, gathered documentation, completed interviews, and recovered physical evidence from both locations for examination by the NTSB Materials Laboratory.

The NTSB’s investigation is ongoing. Future investigative activity will focus on Atmos’ leak assessment methods, evaluation of hazards associated with identified leaks, response to odor complaints, repair criteria, integrity management, and pipeline safety management systems, as well as causal factors.

Parties to this NTSB investigation include: 

• ​the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, 
• the Mississippi Public Service Commission, and 
• Atmos