Residents in the Whalan social housing complex where a townhouse exploded on Saturday afternoon, killing one person, made at least two separate reports of gas leaks in the past 12 months.
Despite ordering her department to provide a list of maintenance jobs connected to the seniors housing complex over the weekend, Housing Minister Rose Jackson has yet to receive a full list of the work attached to the property.
The explosion levelled parts of the building.Credit: Edwina Pickles
A townhouse within the complex exploded on Saturday afternoon, the sound of which was heard in suburbs more than 10 kilometres away. Five people were hospitalised and later released, and in the early hours of Monday morning rescuers found the body of trainee nurse Mhey Yumol Jasmin, who was said to be visiting her mother.
The first report of a gas leak at the site came in November last year when a resident reported a suspected gas leak from a meter on the property. A contractor visited the property on the same day and found an issue with the gas meter at the front of the property.
They fixed the leak and reported the fault to gas provider Jemena, which also replaced the meter on the same day.
The second report came in April this year when a resident reported smelling gas coming from around the meter. A contractor for Ventia, the company contracted to manage Homes NSW’s properties, was sent to the property and found that a fitting on the meter had split and replaced it immediately.
Victim Mhey Yumol Jasmin and flowers at the Whalan explosion.Credit: Kate Geraghty, Supplied
Jackson said she was “deeply concerned” about the reports of the leaks.
“The department [is] currently checking maintenance logs for any history of this,” she said. “Our priority is for this search to be thorough and we will have more to say in the coming days.”
Speaking from the site on Monday, Jackson said the first question to answer was what caused the explosion – something authorities have been hesitant to detail, but which has the signs of a gas blast.
“And then once we know that, the question will be and should be: Well, was it something that could have been known about, was it preventable?” she said
‘If you’re asking me more generally about the state of social housing … it’s a real concern.’
Premier Chris Minns
“It’s interesting just to see the damage is very much at the rear of the property and a lot of the maintenance issues had been in relation to meters at the front.
“We’re not clear yet on what has or hasn’t worked.”
Jackson said Jemena’s records on the property “just hasn’t been coming through yet”. The gas company did not respond to The Sydney Morning Herald’s specific question about whether it had passed on the records, but in an earlier statement said it was “fully co-operating” with inquiries.
NSW Premier Chris Minns said the previous government had not kept up to date with “basic maintenance” of social housing in the state.
“I don’t want to prejudge the investigation into the circumstances relating to that explosion, but if you’re asking me more generally about the state of social housing … it’s a real concern,” he said.
The Herald had previously reported the concerns of several residents who said the street had smelt strongly of gas for more than a year, and had believed the issue had been reported to authorities.
One resident said the smell was so bad that she had stopped taking her children to school past the laneway behind the townhouse.
On Monday afternoon, Fire and Rescue NSW handed control of the property over to NSW Police, following the discovery of Jasmin’s body.
Police will continue the investigation into the blast, and the area remains blocked off.
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