Overview
- Investigators reported a pressure loss on a Washington Gas distribution line along Belle Plains Drive, indicating a leak near the home that exploded.
- Authorities have not determined whether that leak caused Sunday’s blast, and the NTSB says a final report with probable cause could take 12 to 24 months.
- Eleven families have returned home, while 35 residences remain under evacuation as door‑to‑door atmospheric monitoring continues and readings trend downward.
- Williams says it has isolated its nearby transmission pipeline and is monitoring its system, and Washington Gas has been named a party to the NTSB investigation.
- Crews are working to find and fix leaks on an approximately 1,000‑foot section buried six to eight feet deep, with reentry contingent on sustained safe gas readings inside homes.