AMERENUE

Incident Narrative

"ON 4/19/2023, PRIOR TO 8:27AM A VEHICLE (VEHICLE 1) WAS PULLING OUT OF A PARKING LOT NEAR THE ESSEX ONE STOP CONVENIENCE STORE AND STRUCK AN ONCOMING VEHICLE (VEHICLE 2). VEHICLE 2 LOST CONTROL AND SLAMMED INTO THE GAS STATION WALL DRIVING OVER THE GAS METER, BREAKING THE GAS METER PIPING AT THE UNION ABOVE THE METER VALVE, CAUSING A LEAK. VEHICLE 2 CAME TO REST ON TOP OF THE BROKEN GAS PIPING. SHORTLY AFTER, THE GAS IGNITED LEADING TO A VEHICLE AND STRUCTURE FIRE. THE EXACT TIME OF IGNITION IS UNKNOWN. THE EXACT NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS EVACUATED IS UNKNOWN, BUT IS ESTIMATED TO BE BETWEEN 3-5. AT 8:27 EMERGENCY RESPONSE PERSONNEL NOTIFIED THE AMEREN CALL CENTER OF THE FIRE. AT 8:30, AN AMEREN GAS FIRST RESPONDER WAS DISPATCHED. AT 9:05, THE FIRST AMEREN GAS PERSONNEL ARRIVED AT THE LOCATION. EMERGENCY RESPONSE PERSONNEL EXTINGUISHED THE STRUCTURE FIRE WHILE ALLOWING THE GAS FED FIRE TO BURN IN A CONTROLLED MANNER. AT 12:32, AMEREN PERSONNEL CLOSED AN EMERGENCY VALVE TO ISOLATE FLOW OF GAS TO SERVICE RISER. AT 12:48 THE FIRE BURNED OUT. AFTER VEHICLE 2 WAS REMOVED FROM THE SCENE, THE SERVICE WAS EXCAVATED AND PHYSICALLY ISOLATED FROM THE MAIN. AFTER WHICH, GAS SERVICE WAS RESTORED FOLLOWING ALL APPLICABLE STANDARD OPERATING PRACTICES. THE STRUCTURE AND VEHICLE 2 WERE TOTAL LOSSES. THE EXACT VALUE IS UNKNOWN, BUT IS ESTIMATED TO BE APPROXIMATELY $450,000."