CONSUMERS ENERGY CO

Incident Narrative

CONSUMERS ENERGY'S FIRST RESPONDER ARRIVED ON SITE AT 2754 WILDER LANE IN WATERFORD, MI AT 10:49 PM, FEBRUARY 28, 2014, TO RESPOND TO A HOUSEFIRE INCIDENT. PIN BAR TESTING WAS PERFORMED AT THE NORTH SIDE OF THE HOUSE NEAR THE METER, WHERE 15% GAS READS WERE FOUND. ADDITIONAL BAR TESTING REVEALED SUSTAINED 95% GAS READS AT THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF THE HOUSE AND 100% GAS READS APPROXIMATELY 45 FEET WEST OF THE HOUSE NEAR THE ROAD. A STRONG GAS ODOR WAS EVIDENT IN THIS LOCATION. FIRST RESPONDERS THEN TOOK GAS READINGS INSIDE THE BASEMENT AFTER BEING ESCORTED IN BY THE FIRE MARSHALL. BAR TESTING AT ADJACENT HOUSES (SOUTH AND WEST OF 2754 WILDER) PRODUCED NO GAS READS. AT 1:42 AM ON MARCH 1, A GAS DISTRIBUTION CREW ARRIVED AND EXPOSED THE 2 INCH STEEL MAIN IN FRONT OF (WEST OF) 2754 WILDER. THE MAIN WAS BENT, CRACKED AND LEAKING. THE CREW OPENED UP THE HOLE TO VENT THE BLOWING GAS. A FROST BALL ON THE LEAK WAS KNOCKED OFF AT 5:45 AM, AT WHICH POINT THE GAS BEGAN BLOWING. AT 9:20 AM, A 2"" PLIDCO REPAIR SLEEVE, WHICH STOPPED THE LEAK AND REPAIRED THE MAIN. INVESTIGATION CONCLUDED THE APPARENT CAUSE OF THE MAIN LEAK WAS DAMAGE DURING INSTALLATION OF A WATER MAIN; THE EXACT TIME PERIOD OF THE WATER MAIN INSTALLATION IS UNKNOWN. THIS CONCLUSION IS BASED ON THE OBSERVED DAMAGE AND PROXIMITY OF THE WATER MAIN. THE LOCATION OF THE MAIN LEAK WAS APPROXIMATELY 45 FEET FROM THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF THE HOUSE. A SEARCH OF MISS DIG STAKING REQUESTS FOR THIS LOCATION DID NOT YIELD ANY RECENT STAKING TICKETS WITHIN THE LAST 15 MONTHS. THE ORIGIN OF THE HOUSEFIRE WAS APPARENTLY THE BASEMENT OF THE HOME. ALTHOUGH AN ON-SCENE INVESTIGATOR REPRESENTING THE HOMEOWNER'S INSURANCE COMPANY (STATE FARM) INDICATED THAT THE GAS LEAK MAY HAVE CAUSED THE FIRE, FOLLOW-UP INVESTIGATION BY CONSUMERS ENERGY INDICATES THAT THIS SCENARIO IS UNLIKELY. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF AN EXPLOSION OR INDEED IGNITION OF GAS IN THE HOME, AND WHILE THERE WERE EXTREMELY LOW LEVELS OF GAS DETECTED IN THE BASEMENT BY FIRST RESPONDERS (0.16% GAS READS, OR 4% LEL), THIS SEEMS TO HAVE OCCURRED AS A RESULT OF ALL DOORS AND WINDOWS (INCLUDING THOSE IN THE BASEMENT) BEING OPENED BY THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, ALLOWING GAS TO ENTER THE HOME FROM OUTSIDE. THERE WERE NO APPARENT CRACKS OR HOLES IN THE BASEMENT WALL WHICH WOULD OTHERWISE PROVIDE A PATH OF MIGRATION INTO THE HOME, AND NO LEAKS WERE FOUND ON THE METER OR THE STEEL GAS SERVICE TO THE HOME. FURTHERMORE, THE MAJORITY OF FIRE DAMAGE WAS SOME DISTANCE FROM THE NORTHWEST SIDE OF THE BASEMENT (THE SIDE CLOSEST TO THE GAS FACILITIES) THE FIRE DEPARTMENT CHIEF ON SITE WAS ULTIMATELY UNABLE TO COME TO A DETERMINATION ON THE CAUSE OF THE HOUSEFIRE. DUE TO THE LACK OF CERTAINTY ABOUT THE SOURCE OF FIRE, AS WELL AS PROPERTY DAMAGE WITHIN THE HOME (DAMAGES TO APPLIANCES AND SMOKE DAMAGE) LIKELY EXCEEDING $50,000, THIS INCIDENT WAS REPORTED TO THE NATIONAL RESPONSE CENTER. DAMAGE ESTIMATES FROM THE FIRE OBTAINED FROM VARIOUS INVESTIGATORS RANGE FROM APPROXIMATELY $50,000 TO $110,000; INSURANCE COMPANY REPRESENTATIVES STATED THAT THE HOME WAS INSURED TO A VALUE OF $160,000. INVESTIGATION INTO THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE WERE INCONCLUSIVE AND REPORTED AS SUCH ON THE 30-DAY PHMSA REPORT ORIGINALLY SUBMITTED ON MARCH 27, 2014. SUBSEQUENT SPECULATION BY AN INSURANCE COMPANY INVESTIGATOR (WITHOUT PERFORMING ANY INVESTIGATION) WAS THAT THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE WAS NATURAL GAS MIGRATION FROM AN EXTERNAL NATURAL GAS LEAK (CAUSED BY THE INSTALLATION OF A WATER MAIN). THE SPECULATION OF THE INSURANCE COMPANY INVESTIGATOR WAS INCORPORATED INTO THE WATERFORD REGIONAL FIRE DEPARTMENT'S REPORT. DUE TO THE COMPLETE DESTRUCTION OF THE SCENE BY THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, NO ACTUAL INVESTIGATION WAS POSSIBLE AND NO LEGITIMATE CONCLUSIONS CAN BE REACHED.