This Sunday marks two years since a gas leak triggered an explosion inside a Northwest Dallas home, killing 12-year-old Linda "Michelita" Rogers.
Since the child's death, Atmos Energy has worked to replace miles of cast iron and steel pipes across North Texas.
Today, a muddy plot of land is all that is left at Rogers’ home along Espanola Drive. The family’s home has been torn down since the explosion in the early morning hours of Feb. 23, 2018.
Rogers began recording a video of herself getting ready for a cheerleading competition when disaster struck -- natural gas filled her home, ignited and led to an explosion that also injured her family.
A Dallas Morning News investigation in 2018 found more than two dozen homes across North and Central Texas have blown up since 2006 because of leaking natural gas. Nine people have been killed in the blasts.
Shortly after Rogers' death, Atmos Energy began a pipeline replacement project affecting approximately 2,800 homes in Northwest Dallas.
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In 2019, Atmos planned to replace 175 miles of steel main, 100 miles of cast iron main, 38 miles of plastic main, as well as 35,000 service lines, according to online company records.
The natural gas provider stated it was moving toward being free of all known cast iron by the end of 2021.
Atmos is again requesting a rate increase to cover the $200 million it says it’s spent on safety and modernization efforts in Dallas, according to online company records.
If approved in the spring, the average residential customer would see a monthly rate increase of about $5.50 on their bill beginning in June, according to Atmos records.
Rogers' family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Atmos accusing the provider of neglecting its pipe system. The suit was settled this past spring.
