Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Leak Caused Explosion At Prescott Home

A natural gas leak is the apparent cause of the Oct. 2, 2000, explosion that left a four-year-old boy dead and his mother seriously injured.

According to a report by the Arkansas Public Service Commission (PSC), an explosion occurred at the house on West Hazel Street in Prescott after Farah Flemons ignited a butane lighter inside the structure.

She suffered burns over 65 percent of her body, while her son, Jadarian Woodbury, was killed.

Flemons was in the kitchen at the time and managed to escape through the back door. Her son's body was found in the living room near the front door by members of the Prescott Fire Department.

According to the PSC report, neither natural gas nor electric service had been turned on at the house at the time of the explosion.

The Pipeline Safety Office (PSO) sent two investigators to the scene. They were informed Reliant Energy-Arkla workers had performed a leak survey of the company's pipeline facilities in a one block area surrounding the house performing a combustible gas indicator (CGI) test along the perimeter of the residence, while also disconnecting the meter from the gas main.

Arkla's employees were told not to do anything else until the PSO conducted its own investigation.

With the house being concrete block on a concrete slab, little damage was done to the structure. However, the interior, especially in the kitchen and living room, sustained heavy damage.

The PSC report states PSO officials interviewed the Arkla employees who conducted tests at the site. PSO representatives were told concentrations of natural gas had been found in the ground next to the foundation at the front of the building, but the readings had dropped on the north and south sides of the house.

The highest reading came from the area near the service riser near the outside of the front wall where the gas meter was set.

Arkla records, according to the PSC report, show service had been disconnected to the house on June 23, 2000.

The day after the explosion, the gas line was reactivated so PSO officials could test for leaks. None was found along the service line.

Readings were also taken in what remained of the house for about 45 minutes while the line was pressurized. These readings were taken at locations where gas may have been able to leak into the house, but the readings weren't maintained inside to show the presence of natural gas.

PSO officials then asked Arkla to remove the meter at the riser. A minute amount of natural gas was found to be leaking past the valve.

Valve readings were taken on the meter and showed about nine cubic feet of natural gas had passed through the meter from the time it had been shut off in June until the explosion occurred in October.

Officials also found a crack in the elbow of the service line.

Additionally, PSO workers found two cans of insecticide fogger in the house near a space heater in the living room.

But, in the conclusion of the PSC's report, the propellants in the foggers were not the cause of the explosion, with the most likely source for combustible fuel being natural gas set off with Flemons's lighter.

The PSC report levies no blame in the incident.

Arkla officials have declined comment as a lawsuit has been filed against the company.