Florissant Shows Why Gas Alarms Can’t Wait

On August 25, a natural gas explosion tore through a Florissant, Missouri, neighborhood, leveling five homes, damaging nearly 20 more, and sending multiple people to the hospital, including an 18-year-old with life-threatening injuries. Fire crews described arriving to “not much left” of the destroyed houses as search and rescue teams pulled victims from the debris.

The force of the blast was felt across the neighborhood. Residents said the shock wave knocked windows out of frames, blew doors off hinges, and sent pictures crashing from walls. One neighbor compared the sound to an atomic bomb; another thought her house was collapsing around her. Ninety percent of the damaged homes are marked as unsafe to enter. Families are now displaced, relying on the Red Cross for shelter and assistance.

Local officials expressed shock at the destruction. “I’ve never seen anything like this,” said U.S. Rep. Wesley Bell. “For this small area, five homes that are completely destroyed … it is truly a sight to behold.”

This devastation is even more tragic because it was preventable. Natural gas alarms, like smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, provide early warning of leaks before conditions turn explosive. Yet Missouri has no law requiring them, leaving residents unprotected and vulnerable to the tragedy of explosive incidents.

Florissant should be the turning point. State lawmakers must act to require natural gas alarms and close the gap in safety. One alarm can stop the next explosion.

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