CONSUMERS ENERGY CO

Incident Narrative

ON FRIDAY, JULY 28 2017 AT APPROXIMATELY 1600 HOURS, A HOUSE FIRE OCCURRED AT 7509 GLEN TERRA DRIVE, LANSING MICHIGAN. THE FIRE SPREAD TO THE GAS METER, CAUSING EQUIPMENT FAILURE AND NATURAL GAS TO IGNITE. TWO RESIDENTS WERE TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL. CONSUMERS ENERGY PERSONNEL PERFORMED A SQUEEZE-OFF PROCEDURE STOPPING THE FLOW OF GAS AT APPROXIMATELY 1815. NATURAL GAS SERVICE WAS INTERRUPTED TO 4 CUSTOMERS, AND WAS RESTORED TO THE TWO UNAFFECTED SERVICES AT 0200 ON 7/29/2017. DUE TO DAMAGE ON THE METERS AND SERVICE RISER, SERVICE WAS NOT RESTORED TO THE 2 REMAINING CUSTOMERS. INITIAL DAMAGE TO THE HOME WAS CONTAINED TO ONE CORNER, HOWEVER THE FIRE REKINDLED THE NEXT MORNING AND ADDITIONAL SMOKE/FIRE DAMAGE WAS DONE TO THE REMAINDER OF THE HOME. DAMAGE TO THE HOME IS ESTIMATED TO $70,000, HOWEVER A TOTAL PRICE HAS NOT BEEN DETERMINED AT THIS TIME. A JOINT SCENE INVESTIGATION ON AUGUST 18, 2017 WITH REPRESENTATIVES FROM FIRE FINDINGS, LLC, DELTA TOWNSHIP FIRE DEPARTMENT, HERNDON CONSULTANTS, CONSUMERS ENERGY, AND THE MPSC. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT LEFT THE CAUSE OF IGNITION AS UNDETERMINED, HOWEVER THE CONSUMERS ENERGY INVESTIGATOR CONCLUDED HOT ASHES FROM A CIGARETTE WERE DISCARDED IN COMBUSTIBLE MATERIALS (LEAVES, MULCH AND GARDEN MATERIALS) AT THE NORTH WEST CORNER OF THE PROPERTY NEAR THE PORCH AREA CAUSING AN IGNITION.