By Sam Wroblewski and Kim Kalunian, WPRO News
Days after a mysterious explosion at Salty Brine Beach hospitalized a Connecticut woman officials from the Department of Environmental Management are still unsure what triggered the incident.
“We have ruled a lot of things out,” DEM Director Janet Coit told WPRO’s Gene Valicenti on Monday morning.
On Monday evening, information about what caused the blast remained scarce.
The DEM issued a statement saying the State Fire Marshal’s Office continues to lead the investigation and they are now working with National Grid to inspect an underground cable at the site.
National Grid tells WPRO there’s no reason to believe the cable was the cause of the blast, but they received reports Monday that the cable had, at times, become uncovered. They say the cable buried under the sand is not theirs but they are working to determine if it is live and where it goes.
“The public’s safety remains our top priority,” Coit said in a statement.
The DEM has also requested the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers examine the condition of the seawall.
Seismic activity and foul play have been ruled out as causes of the blast.
“There is absolutely no evidence of any kind of a [explosive device],” continued Coit.
Coit says DEM investigators on-scene reported that the fissures in the sand indicated the unexplained explosion came from underground.
The explosion occurred Saturday afternoon near the rock wall on the far west end of the beach. The Connecticut woman in her 60’s was reported to have been blown several feet in the air and onto the rocks. She was rushed to the hospital and is said to have sustained several severe injuries.
Speculation on what caused the explosion ranges from a pocket of air being ruptured, to a buildup of methane gas from decomposing seaweed. Coit says the investigation is ongoing.
