COLUMBIA GAS OF KENTUCKY INC

Incident Narrative

COLUMBIA GAS OF KENTUCKY (CKY) RECEIVED NOTICE ON FEBRUARY 28TH, 2021 AT 12:43 PM OF A GAS FIRE AT 6560 STATE ROUTE 899. A CKY SERVICE TECH WAS DISPATCHED AND ARRIVED ON SCENE AT 12:50 PM. UPON ARRIVAL THE CKY SERVICE TECH WAS ADVISED BY THE FIRE CHIEF OF PIPPA PASSES VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT (PPVFD) THAT THEY HAD RESPONDED TO A HOUSE FIRE AT 6560 SR 899 AT APPROXIMATELY 5:00 AM ON FEBRUARY 27, 2021. TWO PEOPLE WERE HOSPITALIZED AS A RESULT OF THE FIRE. PPVFD PUT THE FIRE OUT, DID NOT OBSERVE ANY GAS SERVICE AND LEFT THE SCENE. PPVFD WAS DISPATCHED TO THE SAME LOCATION ON FEBRUARY 28, 2021 AT APPROXIMATELY 12:00 PM DUE TO A CALL RECEIVED BY A NEIGHBOR REGARDING A SMALL FIRE AT THE HOUSE SITE. WHEN THE PPVFD ARRIVED ON SITE, THEY OBSERVED A SMALL ""PILOT"" LIKE FLAME COMING FROM THE GROUND. WHEN THEY APPROACHED THE FLAME WENT OUT. PPVFD STATED THAT THEY RELIT THE AREA AND HAD A 12 INCH FLASH OF FIRE AND IT WENT BACK OUT. AT THAT POINT, THE PPVFD CONTACTED CKY. THE CKY SERVICE TECH IMMEDIATELY SECURED THE AREA AND SENT OUT NOTIFICATIONS OF THE EMERGENCY. HE THEN BEGAN A PERIMETER CHECK OF THE AREA AND NOTICED FRESH EXCAVATION IN THE AREA OF A CKY TWO INCH PLASTIC MAIN WITH HIGH CONCENTRATIONS OF GAS ESCAPING THROUGH A PVC PIPE PROTRUDING FROM THE GROUND LOCATED IN THIS AREA. THE CKY SERVICE TECH ADVISED THE PPVFD TO SHUT DOWN KY STATE ROUTE 899. THE KY PSC ARRIVED ON SITE AND ADVISED CKY TO SECURE THE AREA AND AWAIT THE ARRIVAL OF THE STATE FIRE MARSHALL PRIOR TO ANY EXCAVATION ACTIVITY. THE DECISION WAS MADE TO SHUT OFF THE GAS MAIN FEEDING THIS AREA, AND THE FIRE MARSHAL ADVISED THEY WOULD BE ON SITE AT 10:00 AM ON MARCH 1, 2021. THE FIRE MARSHAL COMPLETED THEIR INITIAL ASSESSMENT ON MARCH 1, 2021 AND NOTIFIED CKY TO PROCEED WITH REPAIRS. A VACUUM TRUCK WAS UTILIZED TO EXPOSE CKY'S ASSETS AND DISCOVERED THE SERVICE LINE FOR 6529 STATE ROUTE 899, WHICH WAS A ONE INCH PLASTIC NATURAL GAS SERVICE LINE, HAD BEEN STRUCK AND AN UNAUTHORIZED ATTEMPT TO REPAIR THE ONE INCH SERVICE LINE HAD BEEN PERFORMED. IT WAS OBSERVED THAT AN UNAPPROVED EIGHTEEN INCH SECTION OF ONE INCH PLASTIC PIPING AND TWO UNAPPROVED BRASS WATER COUPLINGS WERE UTILIZED IN AN ATTEMPT TO REPAIR THE DAMAGED SERVICE LINE. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION, IT WAS OBSERVED THAT ONE END OF THE PIPING HAD PULLED APART FROM THE COUPLING. CKY CUT OUT THE SECTION OF PIPING AND REPAIRED AS PER OUR STANDARD. SERVICE WAS RESTORED AT 09:15 PM ON MARCH 1, 2021.