SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAS CO
gas_distribution Incident — LOS ANGELES, CA — July 30, 2010
Incident Information
| Incident Date | July 30, 2010 |
| Operator | SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAS CO |
| Commodity | NATURAL GAS |
| Pipeline Type | gas_distribution |
Location
| City | LOS ANGELES |
| State | CA |
| County | LOS ANGELES |
| Coordinates | 33.98678, -118.25964 |
Cause
| Cause | OTHER OUTSIDE FORCE DAMAGE |
| Subcause | "NEARBY INDUSTRIAL, MAN-MADE, OR OTHER FIRE/EXPLOSION AS PRIMARY CAUSE OF INCIDENT" |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 1 |
| Injuries | 1 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $1,000 |
| Emergency Response | $1,000 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
"ON JULY 30, AT APPROXIMATELY 6:50 AM, AN EXPLOSION OCCURRED AT THIS LOCATION. ONE PERSON DIED FROM ELECTROCUTION AS A RESULT OF COMING IN CONTACT WITH DOWNED POWER LINES. A SECOND WAS HOSPITALIZED FROM INJURIES RESULTING FROM THE EXPLOSION. INVESTIGATION DETERMINED THAT THE METER SET ASSEMBLY HAD BEEN CLOSED AND LOCKED THE PREVIOUS DAY FOR NONPAYMENT. UPON OUR ARRIVAL AFTER THE INCIDENT, AN ILLEGAL BYPASS WAS DISCOVERED WHICH ALLOWED GAS TO ENTER THE HOUSELINE AT APPROXIMATELY 54 PSI. THE ILLEGAL BYPASS DID NOT PASS THROUGH THE EXISTING REGULATOR WHICH WOULD LOWER HOUSELINE PRESSURE TO APPROXIMATELY 1/3 PSI. SURVEILLANCE TAPES INDICATE THAT THE TWO PERSONS ELECTROCUTED AND INJURED WERE PERFORMING SOME SORT OF ACTIVITIES AT THE METER SET ASSEMBLY LOCATION MINUTES BEFORE THE EXPLOSION. GAS LOST ESTIMATES HAVE NOT BEEN CALCULATED AT THIS TIME DUE TO LIMITED ACCESS TO SITE. METER SET ASSEMBLY AND SERVICE PIPING HAVE BEEN REMOVED, PENDING RECONSTRUCTION OF DAMAGED BUILDING."
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.