Utility crews investigate gas explosion that killed child in Missouri city
Utility crews were in Lexington, Missouri, Friday looking for answers and working to restore services after an explosion Wednesday night that killed a 5-year-old boy.
On its Facebook page Friday morning, Liberty Utilities Central told customers there wasn’t an estimated time for when services would be restored.
“We continue to work closely with local officials and regulatory agencies, who are on site,” the post said. “The investigation is ongoing, and we are not yet able to access the site of the incident. Once we have permission to access the site, we can begin repairs on the system.”
The company wrote on Thursday afternoon that the goal was to restore services as soon as possible, but “we want to make our customers aware that this may be an extended outage.”
Liberty Utilities did not immediately return a call for further comment Friday afternoon.
The explosion happened around 7:45 p.m. Wednesday after an employee subcontracted by Sellenriek Construction “hit a gas line” behind a funeral home at 18th Street and Franklin Avenue, according to city officials. The boy, identified by relatives as Alistair Lamb, was killed in the blast.
Alistair’s 10-year-old sister, Camillia “Cami” Lamb, and their father, Jacob Cunningham, who were also home at the time of the explosion, were severely burned, according to relatives.
Gas explosion in Lexington
In a Thursday night news release, Sellenriek Construction CEO Steve Sellenriek wrote that the explosion occurred after the employee struck an unmarked underground gas line while attempting to install fiber optic cable. In the release, Sellenriek stated the gas line was not “properly marked” with signage or paint above ground.
“According to the information we have gathered as of this moment, the subcontractor followed all required procedures before, during, and after the accident,” Sellenriek said. “We will continue to support the investigation, and this community.”
Sellenriek also said that the employee called Missouri’s 811 information line to verify the location of all underground utilities, including gas lines, before starting to dig.
After the explosion, Liberty Utilities posted about it on its Facebook page.
“A gas-related incident occurred on April 9 in Lexington, Missouri,” the post said. “Our deepest sympathies and prayers go out to the family and friends of those affected by this tragedy. Liberty crews continue to be on scene working closely with officials to respond to the situation.
“The safety and wellbeing of our customers and communities remains our highest priority.”
Family of Alistair Lamb
A GoFundMe account set up by the father’s aunt has collected more than $54,000 as of Friday afternoon. The fund, the aunt said, will go toward funeral costs for Alistair and medical care for his sister and father.
“There will (be) loss of income while Jake is out of work recovering from injuries,” the aunt wrote in the post. “As he is the sole provider for his family.
“Many of you that know the family remember that Jake’s wife Rachel Lamb-Cunningham passed away in December 2023 due to complications as a Type 1 diabetic.”
According to her obituary, Rachel, 31, and Jacob married on Christmas Day and two days later she died.
“In addition to spending time with friends and family,” the obit said, “Rachel enjoyed spending time at the arcade with Jacob, cooking, but the biggest blessing and title she held was MOM.”
The Star’s Ilana Arougheti contributed.
This story was originally published April 11, 2025 at 3:36 PM.
