NATIONAL FUEL GAS DISTRIBUTION CORP - NEW YORK
gas_distribution Incident — BUFFALO, NY — April 18, 2025
Incident Information
| Incident Date | April 18, 2025 |
| Operator | NATIONAL FUEL GAS DISTRIBUTION CORP - NEW YORK |
| Commodity | NATURAL GAS |
| Pipeline Type | gas_distribution |
Location
| City | BUFFALO |
| State | NY |
| County | ERIE |
| Coordinates | 42.89920, -78.85801 |
Cause
| Cause | OTHER OUTSIDE FORCE DAMAGE |
| Subcause | OTHER OUTSIDE FORCE DAMAGE |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $300 |
| Emergency Response | $3,000 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
"AT APPROXIMATELY 19:36 (7:36 PM EST) ON APRIL 18, 2025, NATIONAL FUEL GAS DISTRIBUTION CORPORATION (""NFG"") WAS NOTIFIED BY THE BUFFALO FIRE DEPARTMENT OF A POTENTIAL GAS RELATED FIRE AND EXPLOSION AT 167 ORANGE STREET. A NFG FIRST RESPONDER ARRIVED ON-SITE AT APPROXIMATELY 19:50 AND CONFIRMED DISCOVERY WAS MADE AT APPROXIMATELY 20:02 WHEN THE BELOW GRADE CURB VALVE WAS CLOSED TO SHUTOFF GAS FLOW TO THE RESIDENCE. NFG NOTIFIED THE NRC ON 4/18/2025 AT APPROXIMATELY 20:36 (NRC REPORT #1428915) AND MADE A 48-HOUR FOLLOW-UP NOTIFICATION ON 4/20/2025 AT APPROXIMATELY 17:20 (NRC REPORT #1429005). THERE WERE NO FATALITIES OR INJURIES NECESSITATING IN-PATIENT HOSPITALIZATION AS A RESULT OF THIS EVENT. THE RESIDENCE INVOLVED IN THE INCIDENT WAS OF ""OFF-GRADE"" CONSTRUCTION MEANING THE HOUSE WAS SUPPORTED BY NUMEROUS CINDERBLOCK PILINGS, MANY OF WHICH WERE TILTED. THIRD PARTY INVESTIGATION FOUND SIGNIFICANT ROT IN THE WOODEN RIM JOIST NEAR THE PILING CLOSEST TO THE SERVICE RISER, COMPROMISING THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY OF THE RESIDENCE. HORIZONTAL SHIFTING OF THE STRUCTURE EXERTED A FORCE ON THE SERVICE RISER CAUSING IT TO BEND. ACCELERATED, LOCALIZED ATMOSPHERIC CORROSION DEVELOPED ON THE EXTERIOR (TENSION SIDE) OF THE BEND EVENTUALLY LEADING TO A CRACK TO FORM IN THE RISER."
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.