SEMCO ENERGY GAS COMPANY

Incident Narrative

ON 05/26/23, A GAS MAIN LOCATED AT 29920 JAMESTOWN DRIVE, CHESTERFIELD TWP, MI, WAS STRUCK BY A THIRD-PARTY EXCAVATOR WHILE ATTEMPTING TO FIX A LEAKING WATER LINE. THE CONTRACTOR THEN CALLED 911 AND BEGAN EVACUATING NEARBY RESIDENTS. ACCORDING TO THE CONTRACTOR, THE GAS LEAK IGNITED WITHIN APPROXIMATELY 5 MINUTES OF THE GAS MAIN HIT. THE FIRE THEN SPREAD TO THE HOME. SEMCO DISPATCH WAS NOTIFIED OF THE INCIDENT BY THE LOCAL POLICE DEPARTMENT AT 10:53 AM. SEMCO CREWS ARRIVED, AND ONCE LOCAL FIRE PERSONNEL SECURED THE SCENE, SEMCO CREWS SECURED THE 2"" PLASTIC MAIN BY 12:09 PM. REPAIRS, PURGING, AND RE-ACTIVATION OF GAS MAINS WERE COMPLETED BY 05/26/23 22:38 PM. THE FOLLOWING MORNING 05/27/23 SEMCO CREWS BEGAN RELIGHTING 26 CUSTOMERS AT 08:00 AM AND COMPLETED THE RELIGHTS BY APPROXIMATELY 11:45 AM. UPON INVESTIGATION, THE EXCAVATOR DUG USING A MINI-EXCAVATOR WITHIN THE 4' CAUTION ZONE OF THE MARKED GAS LINES WITHOUT HAND EXPOSING, RESULTING IN DAMAGE TO THE GAS LINE AND A RELEASE OF GAS. IT WAS ALSO DETERMINED THAT ALTHOUGH THE MAIN AND SERVICE LINES FEEDING THE ADDRESSED HOUSE WERE MARKED ACCURATELY, A PORTION OF MAIN LOCATED TO THE WEST OF THE SERVICE LINE WAS NOT MARKED, DUE TO A MAP ERROR. ADDITIONALLY, THE CONTRACTOR HIT AN UNDERGROUND ELECTRICAL SERVICE LINE IN THE SAME EXCAVATION WHICH WAS LIKELY THE SOURCE OF IGNITION.