SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAS CO

Incident Narrative

ON SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2018, SOCALGAS WAS NOTIFIED BY VENTURA COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT (VENTURA COUNTY FIRE) OF A STRUCTURE FIRE AND EXPLOSION AT 493 LEMAR AVE, OXNARD. THE CAUSE OF THE INCIDENT IS UNKNOWN; INITIAL INFORMATION PROVIDED BY VENTURA COUNTY FIRE SUGGESTED POSSIBLE PROPANE INVOLVEMENT. THERE WERE THREE INJURIES THAT WERE TRANSPORTED TO LOCAL HOSPITAL AS A RESULT OF THIS INCIDENT. DAMAGES ASSOCIATED WITH THIS INCIDENT EXCEEDS $50,000. ALTHOUGH THE GAS METER ASSEMBLY (MSA) DID NOT SUSTAIN DAMAGE FROM THE FIRE, VENTURA COUNTY FIRE REQUESTED THE SERVICE BE ABANDONED DUE TO EXTENSIVE PROPERTY DAMAGE AND THE POTENTIAL OF THE WEAKENED STRUCTURE FALLING ONTO THE MSA. LATER ON NOVEMBER 24, 2018, ONCE THE AREA AROUND THE INCIDENT WAS SAFE AND ACCESSIBLE, A SOCALGAS CREW BEGAN ABANDONING THE SERVICE. IN THE PROCESS, THE CREW FOUND A SMALL LEAK AT THE SERVICE-TO-MAIN-CONNECTION (SMC), WHICH IS LOCATED ACROSS THE STREET (CORTEZ STREET). THE CREW THEN PROCEEDED TO CONDUCT LEAK SURVEY AND BAR HOLE SURVEY OF THE GENERAL AREA. THROUGH THESE ACTIVITIES, THE CREW LOCATED A SECOND LEAK ON A 2-INCH PLASTIC MAIN INSTALLED UNDER LEMAR AVENUE. THE CREW ISOLATED APPROXIMATELY 100 FEET OF THE MAIN TO CUT-OFF SUPPLY TO THAT PORTION OF THE MAIN. ON MONDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2018, PIPELINE SAFETY, COMPLIANCE AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT FROM SOCALGAS BECAME AWARE THAT NATURAL GAS INDICATIONS WERE IDENTIFIED NEAR THE INCIDENT. ALTHOUGH THE INCIDENT REMAINS UNDER INVESTIGATION AND NO CAUSE HAS BEEN DETERMINED, A PIPELINE SAFETY, COMPLIANCE AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT REPRESENTATIVE NOTIFIED THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND REPORTED THE INCIDENT TO THE CPUC. INVESTIGATION INTO THE CAUSE OF THE INCIDENT IS ONGOING. TENTATIVELY, SOCALGAS IS COORDINATING WITH VARIOUS PARTIES INVOLVED TO CONDUCT A PRESSURE TEST OF THE HOUSELINE ON JANUARY 11, 2019, AND AN INSPECTION OF THE SOCALGAS COMPONENTS ON JANUARY 18, 2019. FOR ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS, CONTACT KHOA LE AT (626) 893-4536 UPDATE 2/21/19: ON 1-11-2019, A SITE INSPECTION WAS CONDUCTED AT THE ADDRESS IN QUESTION. HA NGUYEN FROM CPUC WAS PRESENT. EXPERTS REPRESENTING THE HOME INSURANCE AND SOCALGAS WERE PRESENT. A PRESSURE TEST OF THE HOUSELINE WAS CONDUCTED. DURING THE TEST, A BREACH WAS FOUND NEAR THE WALL FURNACE AT THE HOUSELINE. A CRACK ON A NIPPLE AND ELBOW OF THE HOUSELINE WAS FOUND. EXPERTS REMOVED THAT PART OF THE HOUSELINE AND RETESTED THE REMAINING HOUSELINE. A COUPLE OF OTHER LEAKS WERE FOUND: ONE AT THE METER SET ASSEMBLY AT A UNION FITTING. ANOTHER LEAK WAS FOUND AT A LINE VALVE LOCATED IN THE GARAGE. AFTER THE RETEST OF HOUSELINE TEST, WE DISCUSSED THE NEXT PHASE OF INSPECTING THE MAIN LINE SET FOR 1-18-2019. ON 1-18-2019, ANOTHER SITE INSPECTION WAS CONDUCTED TO EXAMINE THE GAS MAIN PIPE. ESI HOSTED THE SITE INSPECTION IN IRVINE. ALL EXPERTS WERE PRESENT, INCLUDING DURGA SHRESTHA FROM THE CPUC. PHOTOS WERE TAKEN BY ALL PARTIES, INCLUDING DIGITALLY MAGNIFIED IMAGES OF THE PIPE SURFACE. DISCUSSION OF FUTURE TESTING WERE PENDING. ON 2-14-2019, ANOTHER SITE INSPECTION WAS CONDUCTED TO EXAMINE THE HOUSE'S CONCRETE FOUNDATION. ALL EXPERTS WERE PRESENT, INCLUDING HA NGUYEN FROM THE CPUC. ARRANGEMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE TO PERFORM ADDITIONAL TESTING ON THE PIPE ON 3/26/19; CPUC IS AWARE. 06-05-2019 UPDATE: - THE SECTION OF MAIN WAS INSPECTED ON 3/26/2019 AT A 3RD PARTY LABORATORY (VOLLMER GRAY LABORATORIES IN SIGNAL HILLS, CA). SAMPLE WAS VISUALLY INSPECTED, PRESSURE TESTED AND BEND BACK TESTED. THE IDENTIFIED LEAK CAUSE WAS EXCESSIVE STRESS, OTHER THAN PRESSURE (POINT LOAD), IN THE VICINITY OF UNDERGROUND TREE ROOTS. AFTER PERFORMING INVESTIGATIONS, SOCALGAS CONCLUDES THAT THE CAUSE OF THE EXPLOSION IS UNDETERMINED.