NEW MEXICO GAS COMPANY

Incident Narrative

ON JULY 3, 2019, AN EXPLOSION OCCURRED AT 08:18 AT 5204 N. ATKINSON IN ROSWELL, NM 88201. AT 8:34, NM GAS WAS NOTIFIED BY DISPATCH THAT THERE WAS A HOUSE FIRE AT THE ADDRESS. NM GAS ARRIVED AT THE PROPERTY AT 08:53. THE GAS METER FOR THE PROPERTY HAD ALREADY BEEN TURNED OFF AT THE SERVICE VALVE BY THE ROSWELL FIRE DEPARTMENT. NM GAS REMOVED, CAPPED OFF, AND PLUGGED THE METER AND CUSTOMER SERVICE LINE. THE SERVICE RISER WAS SOAPED AND NO LEAKS WERE OBSERVED. NM GAS REMOVED THE METER AND THEN PROBED THAT AREA WHERE THE METER WAS LOCATED FOR THE PRESENCE OF GAS. NO GAS WAS DETECTED. NM GAS LEFT BECAUSE THE STRUCTURE WAS STILL BURNING, PREVENTING ANY FURTHER INVESTIGATION. NM GAS RETURNED TO THE SCENE AT 12:15 AFTER LOCAL AUTHORITIES SUPPRESSED THE STRUCTURE FIRE. NM GAS BEGAN PROBING FOR GAS AT 12:45. AT 13:10, GAS ODORANT TESTING WITH A HEATH ODOROMETER WAS CONDUCTED REVEALING SUFFICIENT ODORANT AT 0.38% GAS-IN-AIR. AT 13:20, THE LEAK WAS PINPOINTED NEAR THE MAIN AND SERVICE AT THE SW CORNER OF THE INTERSECTION OF ISLER AND ATKINSON. SUBSURFACE IN GROUND GAS CONCENTRATION READINGS OF 96% WERE REGISTERED AT THE SW CORNER OF THE INTERSECTION OF ISLER AND ATKINSON. AT 15:15 EXCAVATION BEGAN AT THE SW CORNER OF THE INTERSECTION OF ISLER AND ATKINSON. AT 15:40 NM GAS UNCOVERED THE LEAK AT THE SW CORNER OF THE INTERSECTION OF ISLER AND ATKINSON. AT 16:00 AND 16:05, ADDITIONAL GAS ODORANT TESTING WITH A HEATH ODOROMETER WAS PERFORMED SHOWING APPROPRIATE ODORANT LEVELS AT 0.32% GAS-IN-AIR. AT 16:14, THE LEAK WAS SEALED OFF BY SQUEEZING OFF FLOW 54 FEET UPSTREAM OF THE LEAK LOCATION. THE LEAK WAS REPAIRED AT 18:40 BY REPLACEMENT OF A 2"" TEE FITTING. RE-LIGHTING OF THE SURROUNDING HOMES BEGAN AT 19:00 FOR THE 13 CUSTOMERS AFFECTED BY THE OUTAGE FOR REPAIRS AND WAS COMPLETED BY 21:00. FIVE NO ACCESS TAGS WERE LEFT ON CUSTOMERS' DOORS. GAS ODORANT TESTING WAS PERFORMED BY NM GAS ONE LAST TIME AT 21:30. READINGS CONFIRMED PROPER ODORANT AT 0.24% GAS-IN-AIR. ADDITIONAL NRC REPORT #1250929. ESTIMATED DAMAGES WERE $262,687. REGARDING QUESTIONS PART A #7 AND PART A #21C THE FORM DOES NOT ALLOW AN ENTRY OF ""UNKNOWN"" BECAUSE A CALCULATION CANNOT BE PERFORMED DUE TO LIMITED OR UNKNOWN INFORMATION NEEDED TO PERFORM THE CALCULATION, PHMSA APPROVED THE AMOUNT ENTERED IN RESPONSE TO EACH OF THESE QUESTIONS.