Incident Narrative
DESCRIPTION OF INCIDENT: ON MARCH 12, 2014 AT APPROXIMATELY 09:31 TWO MULTI-USE, FIVE-STORY BUILDINGS AT 1644 AND 1646 PARK AVENUE (WEST SIDE OF PARK AVENUE BETWEEN E. 116TH AND E. 117TH STREETS), NEW YORK, NY, WERE DESTROYED BY AN EXPLOSION AND FIRE. EIGHT FATALITIES AND APPROXIMATELY 48 REPORTED INJURIES RESULTED FROM THE EXPLOSION AND COLLAPSE. CON EDISON'S RESPONSE AND ACTION: AT 09:13 ON MARCH 12, 2014, CON EDISON'S GAS EMERGENCY RESPONSE CENTER (GERC) RECEIVED A TELEPHONE REPORT FROM CON EDISON'S CALL CENTER OF AN INSIDE AND OUTSIDE GAS ODOR AT 1652 PARK AVENUE. AT 09:15, GERC DISPATCHED A GAS DISTRIBUTION SERVICES (GDS) MECHANIC TO INVESTIGATE THE ODOR REPORT. AT 09:34, GERC CONFIRMED WITH NEW YORK CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT (FDNY) A SCANNER REPORT OF AN EXPLOSION AND BUILDING COLLAPSE AT E. 114TH ST. AND PARK AVENUE (THE E. 114TH ST. LOCATION WAS INCORRECT). AT 09:38, THE GDS MECHANIC ENROUTE TO 1652 PARK AVENUE REPORTED OBSERVING SMOKE, FLAMES, AND HEAVY ACTIVITY ON PARK AVENUE SOUTH OF E. 119TH STREET. GERC DISPATCHED ADDITIONAL CON EDISON PERSONNEL TO THE LOCATION AT APPROXIMATELY 09:38. CON EDISON PERSONNEL FIRST ARRIVED AT THE LOCATION AT 09:40 AND CONFIRMED THE EXPLOSION AND COLLAPSE OF TWO BUILDINGS ON PARK AVENUE BETWEEN E. 116TH ST. AND E. 117TH ST. NUMEROUS CON EDISON PERSONNEL, INCLUDING GDS MECHANICS, CONSTRUCTION CREWS, SUPERVISORS, PLANNERS, AND MANAGERS RESPONDED TO THE SCENE OF THE BUILDING COLLAPSE. CON EDISON PERSONNEL CONDUCTED AN INVESTIGATION FOR GAS MIGRATION THAT INCLUDED ADJACENT BUILDINGS AND ACCESSIBLE SUBSURFACE STRUCTURES IN THE AREA. CON EDISON PERSONNEL IDENTIFIED THREE (3) FIRE BANK LOCATIONS FOR EXCAVATION TO STOP THE FLOW OF GAS ON THE WEST SIDE OF PARK AVENUE BETWEEN E 116TH ST AND E 117TH ST. AT APPROXIMATELY 13:44, A STREET COLLAPSE AND AN APPARENT WATER MAIN BREAK WERE OBSERVED IN THE ROADWAY IN FRONT OF 1644 AND 1646 PARK AVENUE. AT THE TIME OF THE STREET COLLAPSE, THERE WAS A STRONG ODOR OF GAS IN THE AREA. FIRE BANK EXCAVATIONS WERE COMPLETED AND STOPPERS WERE INSTALLED TO ISOLATE THE GAS SUPPLY TO THE AFFECTED AREA AT APPROXIMATELY 13:44, AND THE ODOR OF GAS DISSIPATED. THE 8"" LOW PRESSURE POLYETHYLENE / 8"" LOW PRESSURE CAST IRON MAIN SUPPLYING (7) SERVICES ON THE WEST SIDE OF PARK AVENUE AND ON THE NORTH SIDE OF E. 116TH ST., BETWEEN PARK AVENUE AND MADISON AVENUE, WERE ISOLATED. INVESTIGATION: FOLLOWING THE ACCIDENT, THE NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD (NTSB) TOOK CONTROL OF THE INCIDENT SITE AND BEGAN ITS INVESTIGATION. THE CITY OF NEW YORK, THE NEW YORK STATE PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION, THE PIPELINE AND HAZARDOUS MATERIALS SAFETY ADMINISTRATION, CONSOLIDATED EDISON COMPANY OF NEW YORK, AND GEORG FISCHER CENTRAL PLASTIC WERE PARTIES TO THE INVESTIGATION. DURING THE COURSE OF THE NTSB INVESTIGATION, CON EDISON PROVIDED A PARTY SUBMISSION DESCRIBING THE PROBABLE CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT AS A BREACH IN THE SEWER SYSTEM WHICH CAUSED SOIL EROSION AFFECTING SUBSURFACE UTILITIES, INCLUDING A CAST IRON WATER MAIN AND HDPE GAS FACILITIES, AND LIKELY RESULTED IN AN IMPACT BY FALLING ROADWAY PAVEMENT WHICH CRACKED THE SERVICE TEE TO 1642 PARK AVENUE. IN ITS ACCIDENT REPORT ADOPTED ON JUNE 9, 2015, THE NTSB DETERMINED THAT THE PROBABLE CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT WAS (1) THE FAILURE OF THE DEFECTIVE FUSION JOINT AT THE SERVICE TEE, INSTALLED BY CONSOLIDATED EDISON COMPANY OF NEW YORK, INC., IN 2011, THAT ALLOWED NATURAL GAS TO LEAK FROM THE GAS MAIN AND MIGRATE INTO THE BUILDING WHERE IT IGNITED AND (2) A BREACH IN THE SEWER LINE THAT WENT UNREPAIRED BY THE NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION SINCE AT LEAST 2006 THAT ALLOWED GROUNDWATER AND SOIL TO FLOW INTO THE SEWER, RESULTING IN A LOSS OF SUPPORT FOR THE GAS MAIN, WHICH CAUSED THE LINE TO SAG AND OVERSTRESSED THE DEFECTIVE FUSION JOINT.