Residents of this part of Pennsylvania who always have had good reason for all-around trust in Peoples Natural Gas Co. have had their confidence shaken as the result of the findings of a Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission investigation into the tragic July 26, 2021, gas explosion in Tyrone.

The blast claimed the life of an 83-year-old woman, destroyed her home, injured four other people and damaged two other residential properties.

Based on the PUC’s probe, it now seems reasonably certain that the initial, immediate Peoples response to the gas leak that triggered the tragic explosion was flawed ­– lacking the kind of basic, advanced and refresher training mandatory for dealing with the kind of potentially deadly situation that Tyrone faced that day.

It was a dangerous situation where every second counted, but it was a dangerous situation that was accorded a degree of urgency implying something far less.

The result: Tyrone was a big loser, when that did not have to be. To some degree, Tyrone remains scarred over what occurred on that terrible day.

No doubt some people still harbor inner concerns about whether such a situation might repeat itself someday.

For anyone not familiar with — or who might have forgotten — what took place on July 26, 2021, here is a brief summation, as reported in the Mirror’s July 27-28 edition:

According to the PUC, a Peoples service employee “sent to the scene of a gas leak — that turned out to have been caused by a contractor’s drill piercing a main — failed to shut off the gas supply, or notify emergency services or evacuate nearby homes before the explosion.”

Also according to the PUC, “the explosion happened 40 minutes after he arrived and 18 minutes after he reported ‘a serious incident involving suspected bore or missile damage’ to his supervisor.”

The July 27-28 Mirror article went on to say that the PUC has recommended an $800,000 fine and a series of procedural reforms at the utility designed to enhance Peoples’ response to future reports of leaking gas.

Peoples has said in an emailed statement to the Mirror that it was reviewing the PUC’s findings, but also sought to assure the community that “safety is our top priority and we are committed to working with the Commission toward our shared goal of enhancing the safety of our communities and the distribution systems that serve them.”

The PUC’s recommendations within its public report involve such topics as revision of call center procedures, more frequent inspections, updating employee training, proper documenting of facts related to incidents, as well as requirements for contractors involved in projects.

It also must be emphasized that public utilities, like all other entities operating within a community, private as well as public, always must strive to be good neighbors.

The foundation of being a good neighbor is constantly working to meet residents’ expectations.

One point of ongoing public concern about the Tyrone explosion and its aftermath over the past three years is that the “nonconfidential” version of the complaint that the PUC has just made public consists of large redacted portions.

Why the secrecy? Why the “assault” on transparency?

While Peoples is figuring out how to comply with all of the PUC’s expectations, the PUC needs to conduct an internal examination of conscience as to whether so much secrecy really needs to prevail.