Jan. 16, 2012  Investigators today will continue looking into what triggered leaking natural gas to explode into a fireball that destroyed a townhouse and severely burned two volunteer West Haverstraw village firefighters and injured two other utility workers trying to evacuate residents on Monday.

The trigger could have simply been the pilot light of a heating system or another appliance like a water heater kicking on, authorities said.

The firefighters pounded on the door and followed evacuation protocals by not pressing the door bell, authorities said. Orange and Rockland Utilities spokesman Michael Donovan said he asked if the door bell could have been the trigger and was told the firefighters knocked on the door.

“The first thing they teach us here is don’t ever ring the door bell,” Donovan said. “That’s their protocol. If people are thinking that’s what happened, this will put their minds at rest.”

The gas leak on Monday was caused when a Westchester County contractor for Verizon ruptured an underground line, authorities said…  Read full story here!