PUGET SOUND ENERGY
gas_distribution Incident — SEATTLE, WA
Incident Information
| Report Date | — |
| Operator | PUGET SOUND ENERGY |
| Commodity | — |
| Pipeline Type | gas_distribution |
Location
| City | SEATTLE |
| State | WA |
| County | KING |
| Coordinates | 47.70374, -122.34331 |
Cause
| Cause | EXCAVATION DAMAGE |
| Subcause | — |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 1 |
Costs
| Property Damage | — |
| Lost Commodity | — |
| Public/Private Damage | — |
| Emergency Response | — |
| Environmental Remediation | — |
| Other Costs | — |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
PSE RESPONDED TO A CALL FROM THE SEATTLE FIRE DEPARTMENT ON A BROKEN 2"" PE GAS MAIN ON OCTOBER 11, 2019 AT 10:38. PSE'S GAS FIRST RESPONSE (GFR) PERSONNEL ARRIVED ONSITE AT 10:55 AND FOUND THAT A CONTRACTOR (SEATTLE PUBLIC UTILITIES) HAD DUG INTO THE 2""PE PIPELINE WITH EXCAVATOR. AT 11:07, WHILE GFR TECHNICIANS WERE IN THE PROCESS OF SQUEEZING THE PIPELINE TO STOP THE FLOW OF GAS, IGNITION OCCURRED. THREE FITTERS SUSTAINED BURNS AND WERE TAKEN TO HARBORVIEW MEDICAL CENTER AND ONE WAS ADMITTED TO THE HOSPITAL. ANOTHER GFR FITTER THAT WAS ALREADY ON SITE, CONTROLLED THE SITUATION AT 12:10 BY SQUEEZING THE PIPELINE IN A SEPARATE HOLE ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE DAMAGED MAIN AND BY TURNING OFF THE VALVE ON THE SOUTH SIDE. AS A RESULT, 18 CUSTOMERS LOST SERVICE. APPROXIMATELY 24 PEOPLE WERE EVACUATED OUT OF 4 STRUCTURES. THE BUILDINGS WERE CLEARED FOR RE-ENTRY AT 13:13. PSE'S CONTRACTOR INFRASOURCE COMPLETED THE REPAIR AT 18:25. PSE NOTIFIED THE WASHINGTON UTILITIES AND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION (WUTC) AT 11:44 ON 10/11/2019 AND THE NRC AT 14:57. A 48 HOUR FOLLOW UP CONTACT TO THE NRC WAS MADE ON 10/14/2019 AT 16:50 (NRC 1261117).
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.