Menino Wants Answers In Hyde Park Home Explosion

HYDE PARK (CBS) - Boston Mayor Tom Menino said he will use his "bully pulpit" to get some answers into who's to blame for a home explosion in his Hyde Park neighborhood.

No one was hurt in the blast Wednesday morning, but a home at the corner of Reynold and Danny Roads was leveled and several nearby homes were damaged.

Menino is pressuring Boston Water and Sewer to explain the actions of the contractor, Defelice Corp. of Dracut, which was hired to work on the block.

But, WBZ-TV has learned, only one of the streets in the area, Reynold Road, was marked for safe digging.

A Defelice crew was doing work in an unmarked spot at the time of the explosion.

"I'm asking the (Water and Sewer) authority director to take a look at that and report back to me," Menino told WBZ-TV Thursday.

"They have a responsibility to the community and to everyone."

Menino appoints the director of Boston Water and Sewer, but the agency is not part of the city budget.

WBZ-TV has learned DeFelice has been cited three times for dig safe violations since 2005 at work sites in Arlington, North Adams and Haverhill. The Haverhill citations was contested and dismissed.

A community meeting is scheduled for Thursday night.

B.C. Baking Company owner Jim Mariano hopes to get some guidance about help with repairs.

One of his brick ovens was cracked in the explosion and that affects how much he can bake.

"I'm going to find out what's available for businesses and homeowners in the area to get back on their feet."