CONSOLIDATED EDISON CO OF NEW YORK

Incident Narrative

ON NOVEMBER 25, 2018, AT 16:44, CON EDISON'S GAS EMERGENCY RESPONSE CENTER (GERC) RECEIVED A REPORT FROM THE FIRE DEPARTMENT OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK (FDNY) OF AN ELECTRICAL FIRE AT 2465 BROADWAY IN MANHATTAN. THE FDNY REPORTED THAT THE FIRE WAS PRODUCING ELEVATED LEVELS OF CARBON MONOXIDE (CO) AND THAT ONSITE FDNY PERSONNEL HAD DETECTED CO IN FRONT OF THE BUILDING, WHICH CONTAINS A LARGE EQUINOX GYM. AT 16:45, CON EDISON'S GERC DISPATCHED A MECHANIC TO THE LOCATION FROM ITS GAS DISTRIBUTION SERVICES (GDS) DEPARTMENT. PRIOR TO THE GDS MECHANIC'S ARRIVAL, THE FDNY EVACUATED AN UNKNOWN NUMBER OF OCCUPANTS FROM BUILDINGS ALONG THE WEST SIDE OF BROADWAY BETWEEN WEST 91ST AND WEST 92ND STREETS DUE TO THE CO CONDITION. THE CON EDISON GDS MECHANIC ARRIVED ON LOCATION AT 17:17 AND BEGAN TO INVESTIGATE. AT 17:34, THE GDS MECHANIC REPORTED A 50% NATURAL GAS READING FIVE FEET FROM THE FOUNDATION WALL OF THE BUILDING AT 2465 BROADWAY. THERE WAS NO ACCESS INTO THE BUILDING AT THAT TIME DUE TO THE CO CONDITION. A MULTIPLE RESOURCE RESPONSE EVENT (CODE MURRE) WAS THEN INITIATED BY CON EDISON DUE TO THE COMBINED INVOLVEMENT OF BOTH ELECTRIC AND GAS. ADDITIONAL CON EDISON GAS EMERGENCY RESPONDERS WERE THEN DISPATCHED TO THE LOCATION. AT 18:17, THE GDS MECHANIC REPORTED THAT AN EXPLOSION OCCURRED INSIDE THE EQUINOX GYM, SHATTERING THE BUILDING'S WINDOWS. THE GERC THEN DISPATCHED ADDITIONAL CON EDISON GAS PERSONNEL TO THE LOCATION TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE. AT 18:34, ONSITE GDS PERSONNEL REPORTED HAVING NO ACCESS TO THE CURB VALVE ON THE GAS SERVICE LINE SUPPLYING 2465 BROADWAY DUE TO UNSAFE CONDITIONS IN THE SIDEWALK AREA RELATED TO AN APPARENT UNDERGROUND ELECTRIC CABLE BURNOUT. BY 20:39, CON EDISON PERSONNEL CLOSED THREE LOW-PRESSURE MAIN VALVES TO ISOLATE THE AREA, WHICH INTERRUPTED GAS SERVICE TO NINE BUILDINGS AND 538 CUSTOMERS. IN ADDITION, CON EDISON ELECTRIC OPERATIONS PERSONNEL DE-ENERGIZED THE ELECTRIC SUPPLY ON THE WEST SIDE OF BROADWAY BETWEEN WEST 91ST AND WEST 92ND STREETS, AND CONFIRMED THAT AN UNDERGROUND ELECTRIC CABLE BURNOUT HAD OCCURRED IN THE AREA IN FRONT OF 2465 BROADWAY.AT 21:47, CON EDISON PERSONNEL REPORTED, PER THE ONSITE FDNY BATTALION CHIEF,THAT A SUSPECTED NATURAL GAS IGNITION HAD OCCURRED INSIDE OF THE EQUINOX GYM. THE FDNY ALSO REPORTED DETECTING 3.5 PERCENT NATURAL GAS-IN-AIR (70 PERCENT OF THE LOWER EXPLOSIVE LIMIT) INSIDE THE BUILDING'S BASEMENT STAIRCASE PRIOR TO THE EXPLOSION.CON EDISON GDS PERSONNEL THEN GAINED ACCESS TO THE BUILDING AND DETECTED 0.2 PERCENT NATURAL GAS-IN-AIR AT THE FOUNDATION WALL IN THE BASEMENT IN THE VICINITY OF THE GAS METER, WHICH QUICKLY VENTED TO 0 PERCENT.THE GAS PIPING INSIDE THE BASEMENT AT THE GAS METER WAS FOUND INTACT. BY 22:45, THE FDNY TERMINATED ALL EVACUATIONS EXCEPT FOR THE AFFECTED BUILDING AT 2465 BROADWAY. THE AREA IS SUPPLIED BY AN 8-INCH AND 6-INCH LOW-PRESSURE POLYETHYLENE (LPPE) GAS MAIN, WITH A 4-INCH LPPE GAS SERVICE SUPPLYING THE BUILDING AT 2465 BROADWAY.CON EDISON CHECKED ODORANT LEVELS AND DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM PRESSURE SUPPLYING THE AREA AFTER THE INCIDENT AND FOUND BOTH TO BE WITHIN ACCEPTABLE RANGES. ON NOVEMBER 26, 2018, AT 10:56, A BASEBALL-SIZED HOLE WAS FOUND IN THE 6-INCH LPPE GAS MAIN IN FRONT OF 2465 BROADWAY. THE HOLE APPEARED TO HAVE BEEN CREATED BY THE ELECTRIC CABLE BURNOUT THAT HAD OCCURRED IN THAT AREA. THE AFFECTED SECTION OF 6-INCH LPPE GAS MAIN WAS CUT OUT AND CAPPED, AND THE THREE CLOSED MAIN VALVES WERE RE-OPENED, RESTORING GAS SUPPLY IN THE AFFECTED AREA.SUBSEQUENT LEAK SURVEYS CONDUCTED IN THE AREA IDENTIFIED TWO GAS LEAK (A TYPE 1 LEAK IN FRONT OF 256 WEST 92ND STREET AND A TYPE 3 LEAK IN FRONT OF 251 WEST 92ND STREET).CON EDISON PINPOINTED AND REPAIRED BOTH LEAKS. AS A RESULT OF THE EXPLOSION, ONE CON EDISON EMPLOYEE WAS TAKEN TO MT. SINAI MEDICAL CENTER, WHERE HE WAS EVALUATED AND RELEASED. NO OTHER INJURIES WERE REPORTED.MULTIPLE MEDIA OUTLETS AND AGENCIES WERE ON LOCATION.NYSPSC, NYCDEP,AND USDOT WERE NOTIFIED.