CONSUMERS ENERGY CO

Incident Narrative

ON MONDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2021 AT APPROXIMATELY 21:37 HOURS, CONSUMERS ENERGY RECEIVED NOTIFICATION FROM EMERGENCY PERSONNEL OF A POSSIBLE HOME EXPLOSION IN THE 3900 BLOCK OF HOGARTH AVENUE, FLINT (GENESEE COUNTY) MICHIGAN. A GAS SERVICE WORKER (GSW) AND DISTRIBUTION EMPLOYEES WERE DISPATCHED AND ARRIVED ONSITE AT APPROXIMATELY 21:57 HOURS AND 22:43 HOURS RESPECTIVELY. THE GSW CONFIRMED AN EXPLOSION AND SUBSEQUENT IGNITION INVOLVING THREE HOMES 3830, 3906, AND 3910 HOGARTH AVENUE. PRIOR TO THE EXPLOSION, CONSUMERS ENERGY WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF ANY ISSUES AT THESE PROPERTIES. A HOME EXPLOSION AT 3906 HOGARTH AVENUE, FLINT MI COMPROMISED THE NATURAL GAS FACILITIES (METER AND RISER) AT 3906 AND 3830 HOGARTH AVENUE CAUSING GAS TO BE RELEASED RESULTING IN SECONDARY IGNITION. DUE TO SAFETY CONCERNS CONSUMERS ENERGY EMPLOYEES WERE UNABLE TO IMMEDIATELY ACCESS THE IMPACTED PROPERTIES BUT BEGAN INVESTIGATING THE SURROUNDING AREAS. AS A PRECAUTION, NATURAL GAS SERVICE WAS DISCONTINUED AT ALL ACCESSIBLE HOMES ON HOGARTH AVENUE BETWEEN NEDRA AVENUE AND WALTON AVENUE. CONSUMERS ENERGY ALSO ASSISTED IN THE EVACUATION OF AFFECTED RESIDENTS. ZERO UNDERGROUND GAS READS WERE DISCOVERED. THE DISTRIBUTION CREW SQUEEZED AND CAPPED THE SERVICE LINES AT THE MAIN FOR 3830, 3906, 3910 HOGARTH AVENUE. WHEN IT WAS SAFE TO DO SO, CONSUMERS ENERGY EMPLOYEES CONTINUED TO INVESTIGATE THE ACCESSIBLE AREAS FOR UNDERGROUND GAS READS. ZERO READS WERE DISCOVERED. THE FOLLOWING DAY, CONSUMERS ENERGY EMPLOYEES CONTINUED THEIR INVESTIGATION BY PERFORMING BAR HOLE TESTING OF THE SERVICE LINES AND THE PIPELINE AS WELL AS SEWERS LOCATED IN THE AREA. ADDITIONAL AIR TESTING OF THE NATURAL GAS FACILITIES WAS UNABLE TO BE PERFORMED UNTIL THE POLICE RECOVERY INVESTIGATION WAS COMPLETE. THERE WERE TWO FATALITIES AND ONE INJURY REQUIRING OVERNIGHT HOSPITALIZATION AS WELL AS PROPERTY DAMAGE TO OTHER NEIGHBORING HOMES. ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2021, CONSUMERS ENERGY EMPLOYEES PERFORMED AN AIR TEST AT THE OPERATING PRESSURE (52 PSIG) ON THE SERVICE LINES LOCATED AT 3830, 3906 AND 3910 HOGARTH AVENUE. ZERO LEAKS WERE DISCOVERED DURING THE TESTING. AN EVALUATION OF METER READING INFORMATION OBTAINED FROM CONSUMERS ENERGY'S METER DATA MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (MDMS) INDICATED A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN USAGE ON NOVEMBER 22, 2021 BETWEEN 02:00 HOURS AND 21:10 HOURS. HOWEVER, THERE WERE NO ISSUES IDENTIFIED WITH THE REGULATED FACILITIES THAT PROVIDED NATURAL GAS SERVICE TO THESE PROPERTIES. ON MONDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2021 AN INITIAL JOINT-SCENE INVESTIGATION WAS HELD AT THE SITE. A CONSUMERS ENERGY INVESTIGATOR WAS IN ATTENDANCE AND PROVIDED INFORMATION KNOWN TO DATE AS WELL AS RESULTS OF OUR INVESTIGATION. DURING THE EXAMINATION, A DISCONNECTED NATURAL GAS CUSTOMER FUEL LINE WAS DISCOVERED AT/NEAR THE WATER HEATER BY THE MICHIGAN STATE FIRE INVESTIGATOR. THE PIPE SEGMENT WAS EXAMINED AND PHOTOGRAPHED BY THOSE IN ATTENDANCE. FURTHER EXAMINATION OF THE SCENE WAS POSTPONED, AND THE SITE SECURED UNTIL ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT COULD BE OBTAINED TO ALLOW FOR SAFE ACCESS INTO THE BASEMENT OF THE PROPERTY. IN FEBRUARY, 2022, AUTHORITIES REVISITED THE SITE AND RECOVERED EVIDENCE FOR FURTHER EXAMINATION BY IMPACTED STAKEHOLDERS. ON SEPTEMBER 7, 2022 A LABORATORY EXAMINATION OF EVIDENCE AND ARTIFACTS RECOVERED FROM THE EXPLOSION SITE WAS PERFORMED AT THE NELDERVELD INC. EXAMINATION CENTER. THE EXAMINATION CONCLUDED THAT A NATURAL GAS LEAK ORIGINATED FROM INSIDE THE HOME AT 3906 HOGARTH AVENUE, BUT AN IGNITION SOURCE COULD NOT BE DETERMINED DUE TO EXTENSIVE DAMAGE.