This information is preliminary and subject to change.
On February 22, 2025, about 10:05 a.m. local time, an underground natural gas leak resulted in a commercial building explosion and fire in Hutchinson, Kansas, destroying the building and causing an evacuation of the surrounding community.[1] No injuries or deaths were reported. Damages are estimated to be about $875,000. Weather conditions at the time of the accident were clear, with a temperature of 20°F and 9 mph southwest winds.
Hutchinson/Reno County Emergency Communications received a gas odor report from the public about 9:26 a.m., and notified the Hutchinson Fire Department (HFD).[2] About 9:33 a.m., HFD arrived on scene, and Hutchinson/Reno County Emergency Communications notified Kansas Gas Service, a division of ONE Gas, Inc. Once on scene, HFD personnel smelled a strong natural gas odor outdoors at the intersection of Avenue E and South Main Street about 9:47 a.m. (See figure.)
As part of the emergency response to the gas odor report, HFD personnel entered a one-story commercial building at 428 South Main Street, situated on the corner of Avenue E and South Main. Upon entering the building, HFD personal gas monitors alerted immediately to the presence of natural gas, and the lone occupant of the building was subsequently evacuated. Seconds later, the building exploded.
ONE Gas provided natural gas service to the area through a distribution system that included a 10-inch steel natural gas main along Avenue E.[3] After the explosion, ONE Gas excavated, exposing about 120 feet of pipe to evaluate the area for leak locations on the pipe or pipe damage along this gas main. During excavation of the pipe, a leak was found at a girth weld.[4] ONE Gas personnel created and executed a plan to isolate the leaking segment of pipeline, or stop the flow of gas. The segment was isolated about 8:50 p.m.
While on scene, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) conducted a visual examination of the accident pipeline, collected physical evidence, and conducted interviews. A portion of the 10 inch natural gas distribution pipe was secured as evidence and sent to the NTSB Materials Laboratory in Washington, DC, for evaluation and testing.
The NTSB’s investigation is ongoing. Future investigative activity will focus on previous failures and the leak history of the pipeline, as well as other aspects of ONE Gas’s integrity management program; state regulatory oversight; ONE Gas and emergency response training; and ONE Gas’s leak response, safety management system program, and isolation planning tool.
Parties to the investigation are the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, the Office of the Kansas State Fire Marshal, the City of Hutchinson, the Hutchinson Fire Department, the Hutchinson Police Department, Hutchinson/Reno County Emergency Communications, and ONE Gas, Inc.
- All times in this report are local times.
- Because natural gas is odorless, strong-smelling chemical additives called odorants are mixed with natural gas before distribution to help reduce the risk that leaks will go unidentified. The most common odorant added to natural gas is methanethiol, or methyl mercaptan, which has a characteristic “rotten egg” or sulfurous odor.
- A gas main is a natural gas distribution pipeline that serves as a common source of supply for service lines, which transport gas to a customer. At the time of the accident, the main was operating at a pressure of about 55 pounds per square inch, gauge. Its maximum allowable operating pressure was 58 pounds per square inch, gauge.
- A girth weld joins two pipes along their circumference.
