KENTUCKY FRONTIER GAS,LLC

Incident Narrative

ON MARCH 1, 2021 A KENTUCKY FRONTIER GAS EMPLOYEE SAW A HOUSE FIRE INCIDENT ON A SOCIAL MEDIA POST AT 9:23 AM, AND RECOGNIZED IT AS A GAS CUSTOMER. THERE IS A FRONTIER LOGO & PHONE NUMBER ON THE GAS METER AT THIS HOUSE. THE LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENT RESPONDED TO THE INCIDENT AT 2AM, OR 7 HOURS EARLIER, BUT MADES NO CALL TO OUR EMERGENCY LINE. FRONTIER IMMEDIATELY CALLED PIKE COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND GOT INFORMATION AS TO THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT, THE RESPONDING FIRE DEPARTMENT AND DETAILS REPORTED BY A NEIGHBOR. THE 911 CALLER HAD REPORTED A HOUSE ON FIRE AND STATED HE HAD WITNESSED AN EXPLOSION. A FRONTIER UTILITY FIELD TECHNICIAN ARRIVED AT THE RESIDENCE AT 10:36 AM AND SHUT OFF THE GAS FLOW TO THE HOME. A LEAK SURVEY TECHNICIAN ARRIVED AT 1:39 PM AND TESTED THE SOIL FOR POSSIBLE GAS LEAKS ALONG THE UTILITY SERVICE LINE. BAR HOLE TESTS WERE MADE WITH A GAS MEASUREMENT INDICATOR AND A RMLD. GAS WAS DETECTED AT POINTS ALONG THE OPERATOR'S SERVICE LINE TO THE METER, AS WELL AS SOME MIGRATION TOWARD THE HOME IN LOW PPM CONCENTRATION. MORE DETAILED TESTING WAS DONE THE NEXT DAY MARCH 2. THE SERVICE LINE WAS DEACTIVATED AND CAPPED OFF AT THE MAIN LINE. ON APRIL 13 AT THE DIRECTION OF KENTUCKY PSC, FRONTIER EXCAVATED AND UNCOVERED A PORTION OF THE STEEL GAS SERVICE LINE FROM THE MAIN TO THE METER RISER. FRONTIER TECHNICIANS DISCOVERED CORROSION PITTING AND A 1/16"" PIT THROUGH THE PIPE WALL APRX 21 FT. UPSTREAM OF THE METER. THIS CORROSION PIT WAS DETERMINED TO BE THE SOURCE OF THE GAS DETECTED BY THE BAR HOLE TESTING. THE CUSTOMER SERVICE LINE APRX 20 FT LONG FROM THE FRONTIER METER TO THE HOME WAS PRESSURE TESTED BY A SEPARATE PARTY. TEST RESULTS DID NOT INDICATE A LEAK. THE STATE FIRE MARSHAL REPORT WAS ISSUED JUNE 24. THE MARSHAL CONCLUDES THAT THE FIRST FUEL IGNITED WAS NATURAL GAS, PRESENT IN THE GROUND FLOOR BELOW THE LIVING SPACE. THE PRECISE SOURCE OF THE IGNITED GAS IS UNDETERMINED. THE UTILITY FOUND A LEAK IN THE SERVICE LINE ABOUT 40 FT AWAY, OUTSIDE THE FOUNDATION; AND THE FIRE INVESTIGATOR FOUND A CRACKED GAS LINE TO A UNIT HEATER LESS THAN 10 FT AWAY, IN THE GROUND FLOOR MECHANICAL ROOM UNDER THE HOUSE. THE SOURCE OF IGNITION WAS UNDETERMINED. A KENTUCKY FRONTIER GAS EMPLOYEE SAW THIS INCIDENT ON A SOCIAL MEDIA POST AT APPROXIMATELY 9:23 AM ON THE DATE OF 3/1/2021. ALTHOUGH THERE IS A COMPANY LOGO & PHONE NUMBER ON THE GAS METER, THERE WAS NO CALL MADE TO OUR EMERGENCY LINE BY THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WHO RESPONDED TO THE INCIDENT 7 HOURS EARLIER. UTILITY IMMEDIATELY CALLED PIKE COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND GOT INFORMATION AS TO THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT, THE RESPONDING FIRE DEPARTMENT AND DETAILS REPORTED TO THEM BY A NEIGHBOR. THE CALLER TO 911 STATED THEY HAD WITNESSED AN ALLEGED EXPLOSION WHEN THE HOME CAUGHT FIRE. A UTILITY FIELD TECHNICIAN ARRIVED AT THE RESIDENCE AT APPROXIMATELY 10:36 AM ON 3/1/2021 AND SHUT OFF THE GAS FLOW TO THE HOME. A LEAK SURVEY TECHNICIAN ARRIVED AT APPROXIMATELY 1:39 PM AND TESTED THE SOIL FOR POSSIBLE GAS LEAKS ALONG THE COMPANY SERVICE LINE. BAR HOLE TESTS WERE MADE WITH A GAS MEASUREMENT INDICATOR AND A RMLD. GAS WAS DETECTED AT POINTS ALONG THE OPERATOR'S SERVICE LINE TO THE METER, AS WELL AS MIGRATION TOWARD THE HOME, PERCENTAGES WERE IN PPM. THE OPERATOR'S STEEL GAS SERVICE LINE LEADING FROM THE MAIN TO THE INLET SIDE OF THE METER WAS UNCOVERED BY EXCAVATION, TECHNICIANS DISCOVERED CORROSION AND A 1/16"" PIT THROUGH THE PIPE WALL 21 FT. NORTH OF THE METER. THIS PITTING WAS DETERMINED TO BE THE CAUSE OF THE GAS DETECTED BY THE BAR HOLE TESTING. THE CUSTOMER SERVICE LINE WAS A DISTANCE OF 19FT 10.5"" FROM THE OUTLET SIDE OF THE METER TO THE HOME, THE LINE WAS PRESSURED TESTED BY A SEPARATE PARTY AND THE RESULTS DID NOT INDICATE A LEAK. THE STATE FIRE MARSHAL REPORT INDICATED THAT GAS DID IGNITE BUT NO DETERMINATION OF THE SOURCE NOTED. KENTUCKY FRONTIER GAS RETURNED TO THE INCIDENT SITE AND REMOVED THE OPERATOR SERVICE LINE BY CAPPING IT OFF AT THE MAIN LI