Investigators seek cause of blast

An exploding Columbia Falls home claimed the life of a veteran NorthWestern Energy employee as he and others were repairing a damaged gas line that served a neighboring home.

James Virgil Hilton, 53, of Kalispell was killed by flying debris when the house at 1206 Second Ave. W. suddenly exploded around 3:50 p.m. Thursday, leveling the house and igniting a fire that took hours to extinguish.

Blunt force trauma was determined to be the cause of death, according to Flathead County Sheriff’s Coroner Dave Leib.

Hilton was a journeyman serviceman who had worked 15 years for NorthWestern Energy. Funeral arrangements are pending, according to Buffalo Hill Funeral Home of Kalispell.

“Our hearts go out to Jim’s family, friends and co-workers,” Bob Rowe, NorthWestern Energy President and CEO, said in a statement. “He will be sorely missed.”

“There aren’t many things tougher than losing someone you’ve worked next to and depended on for years. We will do everything we can to support Jim’s family and coworkers through this very difficult time,” Rowe wrote.

Hilton was known as “a stickler for safety,” NorthWestern Energy spokeswoman Claudia Rapkoch said.

He was “very well respected by his co-workers,” she said, calling him a “thorough, dedicated professional who had a reputation for going above and beyond the call of duty on behalf of customers.”

Officials on Friday continued to clean up debris and investigate the cause of the explosion, which was heard and felt by residents blocks away.

Homeowners Ted and Myrtle Langton were not home at the time of the blast.

Residents of 11 nearby homes who were evacuated were allowed back in their homes on Friday, according to Columbia Falls Fire Chief Rick Hagen. NorthWestern Energy provided these people with hotel rooms Thursday night.

The Montana fire marshal, Columbia Falls Fire Department, OSHA, Columbia Falls Police Department and NorthWestern Energy are investigating the explosion.

Rapkoch said: “At the moment, we believe gas migrated into that house,” where it ignited. “The point of the investigation is to determine how that occurred.”

What ignited the gas also is still under investigation, as is the amount of gas that leaked from the ruptured line, she said.

On Thursday afternoon, Flathead Electric Cooperative crews were installing a power pole at the corner of Second Avenue West and 12th Street West when they struck a three-quarter inch steel line, according to a statement by NorthWestern Energy.

“When it became apparent a gas line was hit, Flathead Electric made the appropriate notifications,” Rapkoch said.

Wendy Ostrom Price, public relations officer for Flathead Electric Co-op, said she is “prohibited from commenting” on the incident.

“We can confirm that a crew was working in that area,” she said, adding, “it’s inappropriate for us to comment further” because the company needs to wait for details from the investigation.

Around 2 p.m., NorthWestern Energy crews were dispatched to repair the line, as was the Columbia Falls Fire Department, as is standard procedure, said Rapkoch.

She said a four-person NorthWestern Energy crew was in the process of isolating the repair work needed on the main line.

NorthWestern Energy workers had “opened the main on one end and were just getting in position to open the main on the other end of the damaged line to put in the fittings,” Rapkoch said.

One crew member was inside the already-open hole, about 75 feet away from the Langtons’ house. Two other crew members were preparing to dig a second hole closer to the home, including one person sitting on a small excavator about 50 feet from the home.

Hilton was standing nearby, testing for the presence of gas and preparing to observe the dig to make sure it was done properly.

Then, the horrific blast suddenly shattered the house, sending flying debris that crushed Hilton and blew another worker off his machinery. The second man sustained minor injuries and refused ambulance transport.

“Up until the explosion occurred, this was a fairly typical situation,” said Rapkoch, adding that the most common source of damage to the company’s lines is “third-party dig-in.”

“Initial investigation indicates the crews onsite acted appropriately and followed all the standard safety protocol. All the servicemen that were out here had excellent safety records,” she said. 

Gas was shut off about half an hour into the incident, Hagen said.

Six firefighters from Badrock Fire Department and around two dozen from Columbia Falls Fire Department battled the venting gas with two structure engines, an excavator (because “everything was a mangled mess,” and fire crews couldn’t get to the hot spots, Hagen said) and a heavy rescue vehicle.

They cleared the scene at 8:30 p.m. Thursday, but members of the Flathead County Sheriff’s Posse and the Columbia Falls Police Department stayed overnight to secure the scene.

Investigators returned Friday morning, along with a Missoula-based NorthWestern Energy crew to restore gas service to the neighborhood.

“There are a couple possible sources of ignition and a couple possible routes of entry for the gas,” Hagen said, but declined to offer any more specifics.

Reporter Melissa Weaver may be reached at 758-4441 or by e-mail at mweaver@dailyinterlake.com