Power Cable Found in Sand, but Beach Blast Remains a Mystery

Investigators continue to study the mysterious blast that propelled a woman out of her beach chair and onto a rock jetty at Salty Brine State Beach on Saturday, discovering a power line buried in the sand near the blast site on Monday.

The cable, which was cut by National Grid crews, likely had nothing to do with the blast, however. And the more scrutiny the incident gets, the more people are questioning what actually happened.

Nothing has been ruled out, but experts said Monday in various media reports that the possibility of a geological event is unlikey.

And state officials Monday noted their ongoing efforts to determine a cause, but nobody had anything concrete to say.

“The public’s safety remains our top priority. We are working with the State Fire Marshal and State Police to conclude this investigation as soon as possible,” said Janet Coit, director of the state Department of Environmental Management. “We appreciate the cooperation among the experts, and are continuing to work with them to determine the cause of this incident. We also appreciate the cooperation we received from the people enjoying the beach on Saturday. Their efforts allowed first responders to quickly get to work.”

Theories abound about trapped gas or rotting seaweed causing pressure to build under ground, or some type of fissure deep below resulting in an energy transfer of some kind.

But Jon Boothroyd, a professor at the University of Rhode Island and an expert in coastal geology said that it’s most likely not a geological event.

“I am perplexed that they would move on so quickly to a natural cause,” Boothroyd told the Providence Journal.

There was also no seismic activity recorded by the U.S. Geological Survey, nor would decaying matter below ground have much of a chance of building up enough gas to cause a blast with above-ground effects. The gas, if it existed, would need an ignition source and oxygen. The ideal combination occurring in the sands right by the water at the beach is virtually impossible, experts said.

The cable itself does not belong to National Grid and it is unclear if it carried electricity. It wil continue to be inspected.

Authorities have also said there is no evidence of any kind of incendiary device or bomb even though the ground was disturbed and there is no question something happened. Investigators have used bomb sniffing dogs and chemical testing equipment to rule out explosives.

State Fire Marshal John Chartier noted that the search included screening sand and chemical wipes and “ All of this testing was negative. Based on the available evidence, there is no reason to believe that explosives were involved in the incident.”

But the boom and reported chemical smells were observed by numerous witnesses at the beach. There were even reports that the release of energy disturbed some of the large rocks that form the jetty.

The DEM has requested the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers come to examine the condition of the seawall, which juts from the Atlantic Ocean-facing beach and forms part of the Point Judith Harbor of Refuge that protects the Port of Galilee.

Meanwhile the state police continue to coordinate with other state and local authorities and has assigned detectives and troopers to the case.

Col. Steven G. O’Donnell, superintendent of the state police, said that the goal is simply to determine the cause of the incident.

The victim, Kathleen Danise, 60, of Waterbury, Conn., said she is recovering from her injuries and remembers watching a man put on scuba gear before the blast. After that, she remembers being in the hospital.

The incident is also a bit of weird news for Rhode Island as the state tries to lure tourists and is in the midst of a plan to revamp a statewide tourism campaign.

One slogan officials might consider: Come to Rhode Island! It’s a Blast!

Photo Courtesy: WHDH