ATLANTA GAS LIGHT CO

gas_distribution Incident — DOUGLASVILLE, GA

Incident Information

Report Date
OperatorATLANTA GAS LIGHT CO
Commodity—
Pipeline Typegas_distribution

Location

CityDOUGLASVILLE
StateGA
CountyDOUGLAS
Coordinates33.75574, -84.72946

Cause

CauseEQUIPMENT FAILURE
Subcause—

Casualties

Fatalities0
Injuries1

Costs

Property Damage
Lost Commodity
Public/Private Damage
Emergency Response
Environmental Remediation
Other Costs

Location Map

Incident Narrative

A 1-1/4 INCH CAP ON A PLEXCO PE SERVICE TEE CRACKED CAUSING NATURAL GAS TO LEAK AND MIGRATE TO THE BUILDING WALL OF AN APARTMENT BUILDING. THE CAP WAS APPROXIMATELY 10 FEET OFF THE BUILDING WALL. AT SOME POINT AFTER THE INSTALLATION, THE PROPERTY OWNER HAD CONCRETE PATIOS POURED ADJACENT TO THE BUILDING AND OVER THE SERVICE TEES. THE PROPERTY OWNER ALSO HAD VINYL SIDING INSTALLED TO THE EXTERIOR OF THE TOWNHOMES. THE SIDING COVERED THE GAP BETWEEN THE CONCRETE PATIOS AND THE BUILDING'S FOUNDATION SLAB WHICH PREVENTED MIGRATING GAS FROM VENTING TO THE ATMOSPHERE. THE ESCAPING GAS MIGRATED INTO THE TOWNHOUSE AND IGNITED WHEN THE MAINTENANCE MAN ADJUSTED THE THERMOSTAT WHEN RESPONDING TO A REPORT OF AN ODOR OF NATURAL GAS IN THE STRUCTURE. THE MAINTENANCE MAN WAS INJURED REQUIRING HOSPITALIZATION AS PART OF THE INCIDENT. THE PIPELINE SEGMENT SUPPLYING GAS TO THE APARTMENT BUILDING WAS SHUT DOWN AS A RESULT OF THE INCIDENT WHERE PIPING WITHIN THE APARTMENT COMPLEX HAS SINCE BEEN REPLACED WITH NEW POLYETHYLENE (PE) PLASTIC ON 9/10/2012.

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.

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