The NTSB on Tuesday issued a statement in regards to the ongoing investigation of the gas line explosion from Saturday. Here is the context of the statment:
"The NTSB is investigating the Feb. 22 natural gas fueled commercial building explosion, in Hutchinson, Kansas.
A team of five investigators arrived on site Monday (one investigator arrived Sunday), to begin the on-scene portion of the investigation which included inspecting the failed pipe. Today, investigators oversaw the extraction and securement of the failed pipe for shipping to the NTSB materials lab in Washington, D.C., for examination.
In the coming days, the team will be conducting interviews with personnel and witnesses.
During the on-scene phase of the investigative process, the NTSB does not determine or speculate about the cause of the accident.
For information about the status of evacuation orders, please contact local authorities.
The next update will be the preliminary report, which will be available within 30 days; it can be accessed by searching our pipeline investigations pages. A link to the report will also be posted on NTSB Newsroom Twitter.
The preliminary report will contain factual information gathered during the initial phase of the investigation. A final report is expected to be released within 12 - 24 months. "