CONSUMERS ENERGY CO
gas_distribution Incident — WARREN, MI
Incident Information
| Report Date | — |
| Operator | CONSUMERS ENERGY CO |
| Commodity | — |
| Pipeline Type | gas_distribution |
Location
| City | WARREN |
| State | MI |
| County | MACOMB |
| Coordinates | 42.46618, -83.02023 |
Cause
| Cause | EXCAVATION DAMAGE |
| Subcause | — |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | — |
| Lost Commodity | — |
| Public/Private Damage | — |
| Emergency Response | — |
| Environmental Remediation | — |
| Other Costs | — |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
ON DECEMBER 15, 2020 AT APPROXIMATELY 16:49 HOURS, CONSUMERS ENERGY RECEIVED NOTIFICATION FROM THE CITY OF WARREN WATER AND SEWER DIVISION OF A BROKEN AND BLOWING NATURAL GAS PIPELINE AT 8452 LOZIER AVENUE, WARREN (MACOMB COUNTY) MICHIGAN. A GAS SERVICE WORKER (GSW) AND DISTRIBUTION CREW WERE DISPATCHED AND ARRIVED ONSITE AT APPROXIMATELY 17:34 HOURS AND 18:57 HOURS RESPECTIVELY. THE GSW CONFIRMED A 2-INCH STEEL (THREADED AND COUPLED) MEDIUM PRESSURE PIPELINE HAD BEEN DAMAGED DURING SEWER REPAIR WORK AND CONFIRMED A DISTRIBUTION CREW WAS IN ROUTE. THE GSW CONTINUED INVESTIGATION ACTIVITIES IN THE SURROUNDING AREA(S). NO ADDITIONAL GAS READS WERE DISCOVERED BEYOND THE IDENTIFIED LEAK SPREAD NEAR THE DAMAGE LOCATION. AT APPROXIMATELY 18:11 HOURS A HOME EXPLOSION OCCURRED AND GAS IGNITED AT 8452 LOZIER AVENUE. THE GSW CONTACTED CONSUMERS ENERGY DISPATCH, ADVISED AN EXPLOSION OCCURRED AND REQUESTED THE WARREN FIRE DEPARTMENT BE CONTACTED. THE HOME WAS UNOCCUPIED AND NO FATALITIES AND/OR INJURIES OCCURRED AS A RESULT OF THE INCIDENT THE DISTRIBUTION CREW SQUEEZED THE STEEL PIPELINE AT REMOTE LOCATIONS AT APPROXIMATELY 21:26 HOURS. TO COMPLETELY CONTAIN THE GAS, STOPPLE FITTINGS WERE INSTALLED AND GAS WAS COMPLETELY SHUTDOWN ON DECEMBER 16, 2020 AT APPROXIMATELY 00:36 HOURS. SERVICE PERSONNEL REMAINED ONSITE AND CONTINUED TO MONITOR THE AREA TO ENSURE NO ADDITIONAL GAS MIGRATION. FURTHER INVESTIGATION DETERMINED THE SEWER WORK BEING PERFORMED REQUIRED EXPOSING AND UNDERMINING THE NATURAL GAS PIPELINE. DURING BACKFILL THE THREADED AND COUPLED PIPELINE WAS NOT ADEQUATELY SUPPORTED DURING COMPACTION CAUSING THE PIPELINE TO BREAK AT THE COUPLING. APPROXIMATELY 30-FEET OF 2"" PLASTIC MEDIUM PRESSURE PIPELINE WAS INSTALLED AT THE DAMAGE LOCATION AND 2-FEET STEEL MEDIUM PRESSURE PIPELINE WAS INSTALLED AT EACH SQUEEZE POINT TO PERMANENTLY REPAIR THE PIPELINE AND NORMAL OPERATIONS RESUMED ON DECEMBER 16, 2020 AT APPROXIMATELY 17:54 HOURS. SERVICE RESTORATION TO THE IMPACTED CUSTOMERS BEGAN IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING PIPELINE REPAIRS.
About This Pipeline Incident
Pipeline incident data is reported to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). All significant incidents involving fatalities, injuries, or property damage over $50,000 must be reported.