"CORDOVA, WATER WORKS & GAS BOARD FO THE CITY OF"
gas_distribution Incident — CORDOVA, AL — January 27, 2015
Incident Information
| Incident Date | January 27, 2015 |
| Operator | "CORDOVA, WATER WORKS & GAS BOARD FO THE CITY OF" |
| Commodity | NATURAL GAS |
| Pipeline Type | gas_distribution |
Location
| City | CORDOVA |
| State | AL |
| County | WALKER |
| Coordinates | 33.76009, -87.18640 |
Cause
| Cause | NATURAL FORCE DAMAGE |
| Subcause | "EARTH MOVEMENT, NOT DUE TO HEAVY RAINS/FLOODS" |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 1 |
| Injuries | 1 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $1,000 |
| Emergency Response | $500 |
| Other Costs | $3,000 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
"A PERSON REPORTED A GAS SMELL IN THE AREA IF 5 MCCRORY STREET. TIM FARLEY AND CHRIS HUGGINS RESPONDED AT 4:00 PM AND CARRIED A COMBUSTIBLE GAS INDICATOR. PHILLIP REED RESPONDED AT 4:15 PM. A GAS LEAK WAS DETERMINED TO BE BEHIND THE HOUSE AT 5 MCCRORY STREET AFTER MAKING A BAR-HOLE AND CHECKING IT WITH THE CGI. THE TRACK-HOE WAS BROUGHT AND DIGGING STARTED AT ABOUT 4:20 PM AT THE BAR-HOLE WHICH WAS ALINGED WITH THE SERVICE LINE. ABOUT TWO FEET HAD BEEN EXCAVATED WHEN THE HOUSE EXPLODED AT 4:30 PM. HILLIARD MINOR, THE RESIDENT AT 5 MCCRORY STREET WAS INSIDE THE HOUSE AND WAS KILLED. WHEN THE GAS MAIN HAD BEEN SHUT-DOWN AND EXCAVATED THE NEXT DAY, IT WAS FOUND THAT THE GAS PIPELINE WAS ABOUT FOUR FEET DEEP AND WAS LAYING ON AN OLD BRICK BUILDING FOUNDATION. THE SOIL SUBSIDENCE CAUSED THE PIPELINE TO REST ON THE BRICK OF THE FOUNDATION AND CAUSE A CIRCUMFERENTIAL CRACK. TIM FARLEY AND CHRIS HUGGINS WERE INJURED. PHILLIP REED ATTEMPTED TO SHUT DOWN THE GAS MAIN BUT WAS UNABLE AND WAS CARRIED TO THE HOSPITAL. ONLY CHRIS HUGGINS WAS HOSPITALIZED OVERNIGHT. FORMER EMPLOYEE JOEY GRIFFIN CAME AND HELPED TO SHUT DOWN THE GAS MAIN AT ABOUT 9:00PM."
About This Pipeline Incident
Pipeline incident data is reported to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). All significant incidents involving fatalities, injuries, or property damage over $50,000 must be reported.