DTE GAS COMPANY
gas_distribution Incident — INKSTER, MI
Incident Information
| Report Date | — |
| Operator | DTE GAS COMPANY |
| Commodity | — |
| Pipeline Type | gas_distribution |
Location
| City | INKSTER |
| State | MI |
| County | WAYNE |
| Coordinates | 42.28536, -83.29247 |
Cause
| Cause | CORROSION FAILURE |
| Subcause | — |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 1 |
Costs
| Property Damage | — |
| Lost Commodity | — |
| Public/Private Damage | — |
| Emergency Response | — |
| Environmental Remediation | — |
| Other Costs | — |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
A DTE CREW WAS IN THE PROCESS OF REPLACING THE SERVICE LINE TO 26010 PENN STREET, INKSTER, MI, 48141, SINCE 8:30 AM, WHEN THE HOUSE EXPLODED INJURING ONE (1) HOMEOWNER AND ONE (1) DTE GAS EMPLOYEE. THE INVESTIGATION DETERMINED THAT A LEAK OCCURRED AT A CORRODED SECTION OF THE 3/4-INCH SERVICE RISER IN THE CRAWL SPACE OF THE HOUSE DURING REMOVAL OF THE METER MANIFOLD ASSEMBLY. THE CORROSION APPEARS TO HAVE OCCURRED AT THE GROUND-TO-ATMOSPHERE TRANSITION AREA AND THE DISTURBANCE OF THE PIPING DURING REMOVAL CAUSED THE LEAK. EMPLOYEES WERE UNAWARE OF THE LEAKING GAS AS IT ACCUMULATED IN THE CRAWL SPACE AND IGNITED. A SOURCE OF IGNITION HAS NOT BEEN DETERMINED. ESTIMATED VOLUME OF GAS RELEASED UNINTENTIONALLY (PART A.7) AND ESTIMATED VOLUME OF GAS CONSUMED BY FIRE (PART A.21C) COULD NOT BE DETERMINED DUE TO UNKNOWN SIZE AND DURATION OF THE LEAK AND IS ASSUMED TO BE MINIMAL. NOTE: DTE MADE THE INITIAL REPORT TO THE NRC AT 10:40 AM, HOWEVER, WAS ON HOLD FOR 18 MINUTES, WHICH MATCHES THE NRC'S REPORT FOR INITIAL OPERATOR REPORT TIME TO NRC OF 10:58 AM.
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.