Small Town News

Lessons can be taken from tragic exlosion

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Tragedy struck Menno again last week Monday, Aug. 23. This time, it was in the form of a house explosion on Park Street. The explosion killed Menno native Gail Guthmiller, injured others and caused more than a considerable amount of damage to surrounding property.

Menno has seen its share of sad moments over the past few years. Just last summer, the same neighborhood was the hardest hit part of town when a tornado allegedly swiped the west edge of Menno. High winds damaged trees and tore roofs off garages, but as had been the case in other scary moments, nobody was seriously injured.

That was not thecase last week, as a suspected natural gas leak took the life of Guthmiller and the comfort of her neighbors, friends and family in the community.

It's a sobering reality when an accident such as this ends in the loss of life. Thankfully such instances are rare here in Menno, but situations like the one that arose Monday prove some lessons can be taken from it.

Avoid traveling to the location of an accident. Leave the serious work to the first-responders. Firefighters, ambulance personnel and law enforcement officials have business at these sites and the more people who drive their cars past the scene or show up on the lawn can be risking their own safety and the safety of others. In a small town, an explosion like the one last week will bring out a lot of people, most just concerned for their fellow community members. But keep your distance, let the experts do their job.

Know the signs of a gas leak and take appropriate measures for your safety should you notice indicators of it inside your home. Investigators are still trying to piece together what happened at the Guthmiller home, but one thing is clear. Many homes use natural gas for one reason or another. That's enough reason to regularly review safety procedure and to perform natural gas appliance inspections.

While civilians rushing to the scene of such an accident is inadvisable, a tip of the hat must be given to the firefighters, ambulance personnel and law enforcement officials who make up the first line of defense in the aftermath of such disasters. The emergency crews from Menno and those from the surrounding area that came out to help are to be commended for their handling of a difficult and unique situation. They should also be commended for their planned meeting to help members of that group deal with the sudden and shocking scene at the explosion site. These responders often face traumatic situations and can suffer from the stress. It is good to have these services available to help those who serve us.

The same should be said for Northwestern Energy, who supplies natural gas to customers in Menno. Their plan to hold a meeting on their natural gas system and to host a question and answer session in the community is an appropriate move.

Not much good can be expected to come out of something like this. But sometimes, no matter where you are in the world, when things seem their darkest, a few threads of light can be found.

The same can be said of Menno.



Copyright 2010 Hutchinson Herald, Menno, South Dakota. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from SmallTownPapers, Inc.

© 2011 Hutchinson Herald Menno, South Dakota. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

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