CONSUMERS ENERGY CO

Incident Narrative

ON NOVEMBER 30, 2019 AT APPROXIMATELY 17:48 HOURS CONSUMERS ENERGY (CE) WAS NOTIFIED OF A HOME EXPLOSION AT 20912 LE FEVER AVENUE, WARREN, MICHIGAN (MACOMB COUNTY). A GAS SERVICE WORKER (GSW) WAS DISPATCHED AND ARRIVED ONSITE AT APPROXIMATELY 18:12 HOURS. THE GSW SHUT-OFF THE GAS AT THE CURB VALVE AT APPROXIMATELY 19:00 HOURS. AN INVESTIGATION WAS PERFORMED BY CE SERVICE DEPARTMENT PERSONNEL AT THE INCIDENT LOCATION AND THE SURROUNDING AREA AND NO GAS READS WERE DISCOVERED. CE DISTRIBUTION EMPLOYEES ARRIVED ONSITE AT APPROXIMATELY 20:15 HOURS TO CUT AND CAP THE SERVICE LINE. AN ON-SCENE INVESTIGATION WITH THE MICHIGAN PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION (MPSC) WAS SCHEDULED FOR DECEMBER 2, 2019. ON DECEMBER 2, 2019 DURING AN INCIDENT INVESTIGATION WITH THE MPSC, GAS READS WERE DISCOVERED ALONG THE 2"" STEEL MEDIUM PRESSURE MAIN. FURTHER INVESTIGATION DETERMINED A PINHOLE CORROSION LEAK LOCATED ON THE MAIN. A MALLEABLE IRON CLAMP WAS INSTALLED AS A TEMPORARY REPAIR. THERE IS NO EVIDENCE THE LEAK DISCOVERED DURING ON DECEMBER 2, 2019 INVESTIGATION WAS THE SOURCE OR CONTRIBUTED TO THE HOME EXPLOSION THAT OCCURRED. ON DECEMBER 16, 2019 A JOINT SCENE INVESTIGATION WAS PERFORMED, THE LOCATION WAS CAREFULLY EXCAVATED AND EVIDENCE (GAS APPLIANCES AND ASSOCIATED PIPING) WAS REMOVED, EXAMINED AND TRANSPORTED TO NEDERVELD, INC. LABORATORIES FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION. FOLLOWING A SERIES OF INVESTIGATION ACTIVITIES THAT INCLUDED EVIDENCE EVALUATION AND LABORATORY ANALYSIS, SOIL SAMPLING AND TESTING OF EXEMPLARS TO DETERMINE THE POSITIONING OF THE UNCAPPED GAS VALVE DISCOVERED AT THE SITE. CONSUMERS ENERGY FOUND NO CONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE THE EXPLOSION AND FIRE AT 20912 LEFEVER WAS THE RESULT OF A RELEASE AND/OR MIGRATION OF CONSUMERS ENERGY'S REGULATED GAS PIPELINE OR GAS FACILITIES. THE SOURCE OF THE NATURAL GAS COULD NOT BE DETERMINED BECAUSE SEVERAL POTENTIAL SOURCES WERE IDENTIFIED DURING THE INVESTIGATION, THE UNCAPPED NATURAL GAS VALVE, THE GAS DRYER AND THE CORROSION LEAK DISCOVERED ON THE PIPELINE SERVING THE RESIDENCE. HOWEVER, OF THE THREE POTENTIAL SOURCES IDENTIFIED, THE LEAST PLAUSIBLE SOURCE OF NATURAL GAS WAS THE CORROSION LEAK FOUND ON THE NATURAL GAS PIPELINE BECAUSE THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE FOUND DURING THE INVESTIGATION TO INDICATE THAT GAS MIGRATED FROM THE PIPELINE TO THE STRUCTURE.