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Report: Utility violated rules before blast in K.C. plaza

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri Public Service Commission staff report accuses Missouri Gas Energy of failing to take “prompt and adequate” steps to ensure safety the day of a fatal restaurant explosion in Kansas City.

The report released Thursday says MGE employees waited too long before checking whether gas levels had reached unsafe conditions inside JJ’s restaurant on Feb. 19, 2013. An explosion and fire leveled the building, killing a JJ’s employee and injuring several people.

Authorities have said the explosion and fire were caused when a cable company’s subcontractor breached a natural gas supply line.

The PSC staff also filed a complaint against MGE asking the commission to find the utility violated PSC safety rules.

MGE disputed the allegations in the PSC staff report, which it says failed to include “important facts.”

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