Months Before East Village Blast, Utility Found Gas Line Was Tapped in Dangerous Way

nytimes.com - More than seven months before an explosion and fire destroyed three buildings in the East Village on Thursday, utility workers discovered that the gas line to a restaurant in one of them had been tapped in a dangerous way, Consolidated Edison and the restaurant’s owner said on Saturday.

After detecting a “strong odor” of gas in the basement of 121 Second Avenue on Aug. 6, the utility workers found “multiple leaks” in hoses that had been connected to the line, creating a “hazardous situation,” said Philip O’Brien, a spokesman for Con Edison.