PACIFIC GAS & ELECTRIC CO

Incident Narrative

ON APRIL 17, 2015 AT 1433 HOURS, PG&E WAS NOTIFIED ABOUT A GAS INCIDENT LOCATED AT 7633 NORTH WEBER AVENUE IN FRESNO. A THIRD PARTY, FRESNO COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS, STRUCK PG&E'S TRANSMISSION LINE, L-118B, CAUSING AN UNINTENTIONAL RELEASE OF NATURAL GAS WHICH IGNITED DURING THE INCIDENT. PG&E'S GAS SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE ARRIVED ON SCENE AT 1442 HOURS. THE FLOW OF GAS WAS SHUT IN AT 1520 HOURS BY CLOSING VALVES UPSTREAM AND DOWNSTREAM OF THE INCIDENT SITE. THE FLAMES EXTINGUISHED AT 1556 HOURS FOLLOWING THE RELEASE OF THE REMAINING GAS IN THE LINE. THE THIRD PARTY DID NOT NOTIFY USA. WITH THE CPUC'S APPROVAL, THE IMPACTED SECTION OF THE PIPELINE WAS REMOVED AND TRANSPORTED TO AN INDEPENDENT THIRD-PARTY ENGINEERING FIRM FOR ANALYSIS. THE THIRD PARTY'S REPORT ""INDICATES THAT PG&E LINE 118B RUPTURED WHEN IT WAS STRUCK BY A FRONT LOADER THAT WAS OPERATING IN THE AREA AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT."" THE REPORT GOES ON TO SAY ""THE SIGNIFICANT GOUGING, SCRAPING AND DEFORMATION PRESENT AT THE LINE 118B RUPTURE LOCATION COULD HAVE ONLY BEEN CAUSED BY CONTACT WITH THE FRONT-LOADER BUCKET."" NO CUSTOMERS LOST GAS SERVICE DURING THE INCIDENT. HIGHWAY 99 WAS SHUT DOWN IN BOTH DIRECTIONS DURING THE INCIDENT. MAJOR MEDIA WAS REPORTED ON SCENE. MORE THAN 3MMCF OF GAS WAS UNINTENTIONALLY RELEASED DURING THE INCIDENT. THIRTEEN INDIVIDUALS WERE INJURED AND THERE WAS ONE FATALITY.