PSE fined $275,000 for destructive explosion

NORTH SEATTLE -- Puget Sound Energy will pay a fine of $275,000 for the explosion that destroyed one home and damaged four others.  The blast and fire in the Pinehurst neighborhood two years ago left a Seattle couple badly burned.

The State Utilities and Transportation Commission says PSE violated gas-safety rules when it responded to gas leaks in the neighborhood - the night before the explosion.

The blast was caused by a gas leak that pooled in a crawl space.

When the homeowner flipped a light switch the next morning his house exploded.