After the explosion, multiple home sites were leaking gas. That is why they shutoff the gas to all homes in the immediate area.
Of course, and people and firemen on the scene will smell it, and they will naturally say it was probably a gas explosion, since they smell NG, even if that conclusion is wrong.
Yet we don’t seem to have that here yet, or if we do, I haven’t read any accounts. I haven’t read of anyone smelling gas after the blast, or before the blast for that matter.
Most people who are near an explosion, and smell gas, put 2 and 2 together even if they don’t actually go together. They usually can’t wait to tell the nearest reporter.
It would be a shame in this day and age if we still have these incidents with NG, that we can’t keep it safe.