PUBLIC SERVICE ELECTRIC & GAS CO

Incident Narrative

AT APPROXIMATELY 3:05AM PUBLIC SERVICE ELECTRIC AND GAS (PSE&G) RECEIVED A CALL FROM EDISON FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTING A WIDESPREAD GAS ODOR ON ROUTE 27 EDISON. A PSE&G SERVICE TECHNICIAN WAS DISPATCHED AND ARRIVED ON THE SCENE AT 3:20AM TO DISCOVER THE WIDESPREAD GAS ODOR COMING FROM A CRACK IN THE ROAD IN FRONT OF 1700 ROUTE 27. AT 3:45AM THE ELECTRIC METER WAS PULLED TO 1700 ROUTE 27 EDISON AND BUILDING EVACUATIONS WERE INITIATED IN THE VICINITY OF THE GAS LEAK, WITH ASSISTANCE FROM EDISON FIRE DEPARTMENT. A PSE&G CREW MEMBER BEGAN VENTING OVER THE MAIN AT APPROXIMATELY 3:50AM TO RELIEVE THE GAS BUILD-UP WHICH WAS NOW BUCKLING THE ROADWAY. AT APPROXIMATLEY 4:38AM THE STRUCTURE AT 1700 ROUTE 27 EXPLODED. THE SOURCE OF THE GAS LEAK WAS DETERMINED TO BE A CIRCUMFERENTIAL CRACK IN THE 16"" CAST IRON GAS MAIN ON ROUTE 27. PERMANENT REPAIRS WERE COMPLETE AT 1:05PM JANUARY 18 2010. THERE WERE NO INJURIES TO ANY PSE&G EMPLOYEES THE PUBLIC OR EMERGENCY PERSONNEL. AS A RESULT OF THE INCIDENT A TOTAL OF TWELVE HOMES WERE EVACUATED OF THIRTY PEOPLE AND SIX COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS THAT WERE CLOSED FOR THE NIGHT WERE FORCED TO REMAIN CLOSED THROUGHOUT THE REPAIR. *QUESTION 17B WAS LEFT BLANK BECAUSE OF SYSTEMS INABILITY TO INPUT DATE AND GREATER THAN THE OPERATOR IDENTIFIED DATE AND TIME. AS THE DESCRIPTION ABOVE INDICATES THE INCIDENT DID OCCUR AFTER PSE&G PERSONNEL ARRIVED AT THE LOCATION.