By Ann Rubin
St. Louis County, MO (KSDK) - NewsChannel 5 first told you about a house explosion in Dellwood Monday night. Less than 12-hours later, there was a nearly identical explosion in Black Jack.
Investigators believe copper vandals severing gas lines may have caused both. Thieves looking to get a few bucks worth of copper end up causing thousands of dollars in damage to homes, not to mention putting lives and neighborhoods at risk. It's a recipe for disaster, according to authorities.
After vandals ripped the copper pipes from Maurice Marshall's basement, gas started filling the house.
Around 6 a.m. Tuesday, the home blew up.
"It was an explosion. All the windows were blown out," Marshall said.
Fortunately, Marshall, his wife and two daughters were not at home. They recently inherited this home and were renovating before they moved in full time.
"The detectives said the person that did this was probably casing the place," Marshall said.
That happened in Blackjack. But just a few hours earlier, just a few blocks away in Dellwood, there was another explosion.
Again, it was an unoccupied home and again authorities believe copper vandals triggered the gas leak and explosion. Firefighters say this is a growing concern.
"It could be a minor explosion. It could be a total devastation of the home where it's completely gone, there's nothing left of the foundation. If there's somebody in there, now we have the potential for a fatality," said Chief Michael Gantner of the Black Jack Fire Protection District.
At Laclede Gas, they say copper theft is a serious problem and that vigilance is the key to safety.
"We encourage people to notice if there's something going on in a vacant home anywhere in your neighborhood, anything that looks suspicious," said Laclede Gas spokeswoman Jessica Willingham.
Marshall came back to survey his home. And while he believes there's $80,000 worth of damage here, he's grateful it wasn't worse.
"I'm a spiritual person and I thank the lord that my family didn't get hurt," he said. "This is material stuff; my family, you know, I just couldn't deal with that."
One neighbor said he did see someone suspicious by the Marshall's home Monday night and he was able to give a license plate to police.
KSDK