Roofers in Mansfield Caused Four Gas Leaks
ARLINGTON – It can be dangerous, even deadly, roofers hitting gas lines in homes in north Texas.
Roofers know the problems and cities do too.
After our investigation – some cities started making changes but there’s a push for more.
When Charles Williams decided to replace the roof of his home in Arlington, he never thought his family would be in danger.
“After a few hours being home, the odor kept getting stronger,” he said.
The odor was natural gas.
His wife and two kids were home. His wife tried to cover up the smell by lighting candles.
“The most frightening thing was that my two children and my wife were home with a gas leak and had candles burning,” said Williams.
Rick Estes and his crew punctured one of the yellow gas pipes in his attic with a nail.
The line was pushed against the roofing deck.
“Our real concern is there are people not aware of the situation and that it could possibly be deadly,” said Estes.
News 8 first discovered the problem last summer.
Roofers hit gas lines in at least four homes in Mansfield, including city councilman, Cory Hoffman’s house.
After our investigation, the city took action.
A protective sleeve will now be required in Mansfield.
“It has to be sealed within six feet into that open area and then it can run free without the shield,” said Hoffman.
Inspectors told News 8 that spotting this potential danger can be difficult during the home construction process because they approve gas line installations before the walls are even covered.
“It takes a while to catch up and discover these things,” said Arlington chief inspector Ed Dryden.
In Arlington, McKinney and Fort Worth, inspectors are adding protective sleeves, brackets to anchor the lines or strike plates to guard them against any threat.
But others cities have yet to tackle the issue.
For Brett Hall, the former president of the North Texas Roofing Contractors Association, that needs to change.
“Here, we are dealing with almost an oversight, if you will, yet the consequences can be so severe,” he said.
“We can be talking about one person’s home blowing up. We can be talking about them having carbon monoxide suffocation, poisoning.”
He plans take this issue to national insurance, building safety and roofing organizations so all cities are forced to step up their standards.
“We are not talking about anything that’s difficult. We are talking about someone who cares enough to do it right,” he added.
So Charles Williams, his loved ones and every family can feel safe again in their own homes.
Arlington inspectors are looking into creating a public service announcement to inform homeowners of this problem so they can check the lines in their homes.
The Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners has recommended that educators use our reports as part of their training.Monika Diaz
WFAA TV
Watch the video on the WFAA website here.