PHILADELPHIA GAS WORKS

Incident Narrative

ON THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19TH 2019, AT 11:45 AM PGW RECEIVED A CALL FROM THE PHILADELPHIA FIRE DEPARTMENT (PFD) REPORTING A POSSIBLE EXPLOSION ON THE 1400 BLOCK OF SOUTH 8TH STREET. PGW IMMEDIATELY DISPATCHED FIRST RESPONDERS TO INVESTIGATE. THE FIRST PGW EMPLOYEE ARRIVED ON LOCATION AT 11:49 AM. UPON ARRIVAL THREE PROPERTIES WERE ON FIRE (1433, 1435, & 1437 S. 8TH STREET) AND THE DEBRIS FIELD WAS CONSISTENT WITH A POTENTIAL EXPLOSION. WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF THE PFD, PGW PERFORMED HOUSE CHECKS AND THE PFD EVACUATED APPROXIMATELY 60 PEOPLE DURING THE EVENT. A 6"" CAST IRON GAS MAIN SUPPLIED THE GAS SERVICES TO THE PROPERTIES ON FIRE. IN ORDER TO SHUT DOWN THE GAS MAIN AND SERVICES TO THESE PROPERTIES PGW UTILIZED GREASE INJECTED THROUGH THE SERVICES OF 1421 AND 1441 S. 8TH STREET. THE MAIN AND SERVICES WERE SHUT DOWN AT 13:27. THE PERMANENT CUT AND CAPS OF THE 6"" CAST IRON MAIN WERE COMPLETED AT 17:30. ON 12/19/19 AT 23:00 PGW INSERTED A CAMERA INSIDE THE ABANDONED 6"" CAST IRON GAS MAIN AND IDENTIFIED A POTENTIAL BROKEN MAIN LOCATION. THE CAMERA VIEW WAS HINDERED DUE TO THE MAIN BEING FILLED WITH WATER. ON 12/21/19 (AFTER THE WATER HAD BEEN DRAINED FROM THE MAIN) PGW INSERTED THE CAMERA AGAIN AND IDENTIFIED A CLEAR CIRCUMFERENTIAL BREAK WHERE THE MAIN HAD DROPPED. THE LOCATION OF THE BROKEN MAIN WAS 136 FEET NNCL OF DICKINSON STREET. ON 12/22/19 PGW WAS GIVEN ACCESS TO EXCAVATE AND RETRIEVE THE 6"" CAST IRON BROKEN MAIN FOR EVIDENCE. THE FOOTWAY AND ROADWAY PAVEMENT WAS UNDERMINED AT THIS LOCATION AND A LARGE CAVITY EXISTED IN THE INTERSECTION OF 1400 S. 8TH STREET AND 800 WILDER STREET. A 6"" STAINLESS STEEL SLEEVE WAS INSTALLED ON THE BROKEN MAIN AND THIS SECTION OF MAIN WAS MARKED AND REMOVED FOR EVIDENCE. THE TESTING AND METALLURGICAL ANALYSIS HAS NOT BEEN COMPLETED DUE TO THE CURRENT WORK STOPPAGE CAUSED BY THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. THE TESTING WILL BE RESCHEDULED AFTER THE PANDEMIC RESTRICTIONS HAVE BEEN LIFTED. THE TESTING AND METALLURGICAL ANALYSIS IS SCHEDULED TO TAKE PLACE ON 6/24/2020 AT AFFILIATED ENGINEERING LABORATORIES, INC. 777 NEW DURHAM ROAD, EDISON NJ 08817. ON SEPTEMBER 30, 2020 THE TESTING ANALYSIS WAS PROVIDED TO PGW AND THE PENNSYLVANIA PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSION. THE SUMMARY OF THE FINDINGS CONCLUDED EXTERNAL STRESSES APPLIED TO A GRAPHITIZED GAS MAIN INDUCED A CIRCUMFERENTIAL CRACK WHEREBY GAS WAS ALLOWED TO ESCAPE. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF A PRE-EXISTING BREACH OR LEAK LOCATION OBSERVED ON THE FRACTURE SURFACE.