NIAGARA MOHAWK POWER CORP

Incident Narrative

INCIDENT TIMELINE: 06:56 GAS ODOR CALLED IN FROM 425 CAYUGA ST, FULTON. DISPATCHED TO SERVICE REP. SEE ATTACHED MWORK ORDER. 07:01 SERVICE MAN (ANDY HECKATHORN) ARRIVED AT COMPLAINT ADDRESS. COULD SMELL STRONG ODOR OF GAS AND BEGAN TO INVESTIGATE THE SOURCE. 07:15 WHILE IN FRONT OF 425 CAYUGA ST, SERVICE MAN HEAR A LOUD 'WOOSH' ACROSS THE STREET AND THOUGHT THE BUILDING MAY HAVE CAVED IN. WHEN INVESTIGATING THE NOISE, HE SAW SMOKE FROM A HOUSE AROUND THE CORNER AT 38 S 5TH ST, FULTON. HE CALLED 911 AND WENT TO ADDRESS AND SAW FRONT WALL HAD BEEN BLOWN OUT AND FLAMES COMING FROM INSIDE HOUSE. HE SAW TWO PEOPLE ESCAPE THE HOUSE AND THEY SAID NO ONE ELSE WAS INSIDE. HE CONTACTED SUPERVISOR AND CUT ELECTRIC SERVICE AT POLE AT STREET. UNABLE TO GET TO OUTSIDE GAS METER BECAUSE OF FIRE. 07:20 DISPATCHED GAS OPERATIONS CREW (JAMES TUTTLE, MICHAEL KENYON, JAMIESON BOONZHA) TO 38 S 5TH ST. 07:30 GAS OPS CREW ARRIVED ON SITE. FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS AT SCENE. HOUSE WAS IN FLAMES AND FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS USING HOSES TO CONTROL FIRE. WHEN IT WAS SAFE, CREW APPROACHED OUTSIDE RISER TO DETERMINE WHETHER IT WAS BROKEN ABOVE OR BELOW THE SHUT OFF VALVE. THE ENTIRE METER ASSEMBLY WAS BURIED WITH SNOW, ICE AND ASH WHEN THEY APPROACHED. 07:45 GAS WAS SHUT OFF AT RISER USING A LONG HANDLED VALVE KEY. THIS SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED THE FLAMES HOWEVER DID NOT STOP THE FIRE. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT GAS WAS LEAKING BY SHUTOFF ON RISER. 07:50 SERVICE DEPARTMENT BEGAN WALL CHECKS AT ALL THE NEIGHBORING HOUSES. ALL WALL CHECKS WERE CLEAR. 08:00 GAS CREW BEGAN DIGGING SERVICE AT MAIN TO SHUT OFF GAS. 08:42 GAS SERVICE WAS SHUT OFF AT TEE. UPON SHUT DOWN, FIRE IMMEDIATELY EXTINGUISHED. FOLLOW-UP INVESTIGATION: IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THIS INCIDENT THE SUBSEQUENT ACTION WAS TAKEN: - A GAS SAMPLE WAS TAKEN AT THE NEIGHBORING HOUSE (501 CAYUGA ST) TO CHECK MERCAPTIN LEVELS. TWO TESTS WERE COMPLETED USING BACKARACH ODOROMETER (ID# AIS367). THE RESULTS WERE: - .15 (TESTED BY ANDY HECKATHORN) - .25 (TESTED PHILIP NATOLI) - ABOVE GROUND SERVICE PIPING, INCLUDING CUSTOMER FUEL LINE, WAS INSPECTED FOR DAMAGE. THE ENTIRE METER ASSEMBLY WAS SIGNIFICANTLY BENT FORWARD. THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO THE REGULATOR, AND METER DUE TO THE FIRE. CUSTOMER FUEL LINE WAS VERY LOOSE BUT STILL INTACT. A CRACK WAS FOUND ON THE NIPPLE BETWEEN THE REDUCER AND THE BOTTOM OF THE SHUT OFF VALVE. - SERVICE RISER WAS CAPPED, AND LINE WAS RE-ENERGIZED. AN UNDERGROUND LEAK SURVEY WAS COMPLETED USING TWO CALIBRATED COMBUSTIBLE GAS INDICATORS (ID #052010 AND #052010). ZERO GAS READINGS WERE FOUND. - THE SERVICE LINE WAS PRESSURE TESTED WITH AIR AT 22PSI FOR 15 MINUTES, WITH NO DROP IN LINE PRESSURE. - AFTER TESTING WAS COMPLETED, THE SERVICE LINE WAS PERMANENTLY RETIRED AT THE MAIN. - JIM CLARY FROM THE NG CLAIMS DEPARTMENT AS WELL AS DENNIS WARE FROM WARE INVESTIGATIONS ARRIVED TO INVESTIGATE AND DOCUMENT THE EVENT. PRELIMINARY REPORT: CONSENSUS WITH THE LOCAL FIRE AND POLICE INVESTIGATORS AS WELL AS NG PERSONNEL DETERMINED THAT ICE AND SNOW SHED FROM THE ROOF OF THE RESIDENCE CAUSED THE DAMAGE TO THE SERVICE PIPING RESULTING IN THE LEAK. THE MOST LIKELY IGNITION SOURCE OCCURRED FROM THE FURNACE WHICH WAS LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 5 FEET FROM THE SERVICE RISER.