COLUMBIA GAS OF MASSACHUSETTS
gas_distribution Incident — LAWRENCE, MA
Incident Information
| Report Date | — |
| Operator | COLUMBIA GAS OF MASSACHUSETTS |
| Commodity | — |
| Pipeline Type | gas_distribution |
Location
| City | LAWRENCE |
| State | MA |
| County | ESSEX |
| Coordinates | 42.68394, -71.15530 |
Cause
| Cause | OTHER OUTSIDE FORCE DAMAGE |
| Subcause | — |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | — |
| Lost Commodity | — |
| Public/Private Damage | — |
| Emergency Response | — |
| Environmental Remediation | — |
| Other Costs | — |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
METER AT THIS LOCATION HAD BEEN SHUT OFF SINCE 2016. COLUMBIA GAS WAS CALLED TO SCENE TO SHUT OFF GAS TO THE BUILDING AROUND 0330 A.M. ON JUNE 21, 2019. GAS WAS SHUT OFF AT THE CURB VALVE. AT APPROXIMATELY 7:00 A.M. ON 6/21/19 THE FIRE CHIEF CALLED THE OPERATING CENTER MANAGER TO INFORM THE COMPANY THEY WOULD BE INVESTIGATING THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE. ON 6/25/2019 THE FIRE MARSHALL GAINED ACCESS TO PROPERTY TO INVESTIGATE. THEY FOUND THE METER LOCK REMOVED AND METER VALVE IN THE ON POSITION. THE INDEX TO THE METER HAD BEEN REMOVED AS WELL. A SECOND INVESTIGATION TOOK PLACE 8/6/2019 WHEN THE PROPERTY WAS SAFE TO RE-ENTER. THIS TEAM CONFIRMED THE GAS METER HAD BEEN TAMPERED WITH. UNABLE TO ELIMINATE MULTIPLE SOURCES OF IGNITION, THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE REMAINS UNDETERMINED AND THE INVESTIGATION HAS BEEN CLOSED.
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.