AMEREN ILLINOIS COMPANY

Incident Narrative

AMEREN ILLINOIS RECEIVED AN INITIAL CALL FROM THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ON 11/16/2010 AT 05:40 OF A STRUCTURE FIRE AT 629 BRANDYWINE LANE IN JACKSONVILLE, ILLINOIS. FIRE DEPARTMENT REQUESTED GAS AND ELECTRIC TO BE DISCONNECTED DUE TO HOUSE FIRE. AMEREN ILLINOIS FIRST RESPONDER ARRIVED ON SITE AT 05:51. HEAT OF STRUCTURE FIRE HAD SUBSEQUENTLY CAUSED THE POLYETHYLENE PIPE IN THE RISER TO MELT AT THE AREA OF THE CRIMP JUST ABOVE GROUND LEVEL. A SMALL AMOUNT OF GAS WAS RELEASED WHICH THEN IGNITED RESULTING IN A SMALL GAS FIRE ABOUT SIX INCHES IN DIAMETER AND FOUR INCHES IN HEIGHT. THE RISER WAS EXCAVATED AND SQUEEZED OFF AT 06:10 STOPPING THE FLOW OF GAS. THE SERVICE WAS CUT AND CAPPED AND REMAINS CAPPED OFF. IT IS NOT KNOWN AT THIS TIME WHETHER OR NOT SERVICE WILL BE REINSTATED AT THIS LOCATION. PROPERTY DAMAGE TO THE TRAILER WAS ESTIMATED TO BE NO MORE THAN $15,000 AT THAT TIME AND THE EVENT WAS CONSIDERED A ""FIRE FIRST"" AND NOT A REPORTABLE INCIDENT AS PROPERTY DAMAGE WAS ESTIMATED TO BE LESS THAN $50,000. AFTER THE SCENE WAS SECURED AND FIRE EXTINGUISHED, INVESTIGATION INTO THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE ENSUED. THE ILLINOIS STATE FIRE MARSHAL INVESTIGATOR INFORMED THE AMEREN ILLINOIS SUPERVISOR GAS OPERATIONS THAT HIS INITIAL INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE FIRE STARTED IN THE KITCHEN/DINING AREA. THE TRASH AND CLUTTER IN THIS AREA WAS IGNITED BY ONE OF THE THREE ELECTRIC SPACE HEATERS THAT WERE IN THE AREA. IT WAS ALSO STATED THAT THERE HAD BEEN ONE FATALITY DUE TO BURNS AND SMOKE INHALATION. THE SUPERVISOR MADE NECESSARY CONTACTS AFTER LEARNING THIS FACT AND AMEREN ILLINOIS THEN DETERMINED THIS TO BE A REPORTABLE INCIDENT AT 13:10. NECESSARY INFORMATION WAS GATHERED AND THE INCIDENT WAS REPORTED TO THE NRC AT 15:00. PLEASE NOTE: IN PART A OF THIS REPORT, 17 A. LOCAL TIME OPERATOR IDENTIFIED INCIDENT IS LISTED AS 05:40 WHICH IS THE TIME THE EMERGENCY CALL WAS RECEIVED AND NOT THE TIME AMEREN ILLINOIS DETERMINED THIS TO BE A REPORTABLE INCIDENT SINCE THE LOGIC BUILT INTO THIS DATA ENTRY FORM REQUIRES THE DATE AND TIME IN 17 B. LOCAL TIME OPERATOR RESOURCES ARRIVED ON SITE TO BE GREATER THAN OR EQUAL TO OPERATOR IDENTIFIED DATE AND TIME IN 17 A. A COPY OF THE JACKSONVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORT WAS OBTAINED AND FORWARDED ON TO THE ILLINOIS COMMERCE COMMISSION CONFIRMING THE AREA OF ORIGIN TO BE IN THE KITCHEN/DINING AREA AND THAT THE POSSIBLE CAUSE IS SUSPECTED TO BE A ""SPACE HEATER FOUND HEAVILY DAMAGED IN THAT LOCATION"".