ATLANTA GAS LIGHT CO

Incident Narrative

A LEAK CALL WAS RECEIVED BY THE COMPANY'S 24/7 EMERGENCY CALL CENTER WHERE IT WAS IDENTIFIED THAT THE CITY OF ATLANTA'S FIRE DEPARTMENT HAD PREVIOUSLY RESPONDED AND EXTINGUISHED AN OUT OF CONTROL FIRE UNDERNEATH A BRIDGE ALONG CHESHIRE BRIDGE ROAD AT SOUTH FORK PEACHTREE CREEK. UPON INVESTIGATION, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT A 4-INCH PE PLASTIC MAIN ONE-WAY FEED INSERTED INTO A 16-INCH STEEL CASING FAILED DUE TO EXTERNALLY APPLIED HEAT FROM THE UNCONTROLLED FIRE. THE FIRE CONSISTED OF BURNING MATTRESSES AND OTHER TYPES OF FURNITURE ASSOCIATED WITH PEOPLE WHO WERE LIVING UNDERNEATH THE BRIDGE. IN ADDITION, APPROXIMATELY 2 1/2 HOURS AFTER GAS HAD BEEN SHUT OFF WHICH WAS AFTER THE FIRE DEPARTMENT'S EMERGENCY RESPONDERS HAD DETERMINED THAT THE INCIDENT WAS SAFE ENOUGH FOR THEM TO LEAVE, ONE PERSON WHO PREVIOUSLY WAS TOLD BY COMPANY CREWS TO STAY AWAY FROM THE INCIDENT SCENE, ENTERED UNDERNEATH THE BRIDGE ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE CREEK AND INITIATED A FLASH FIRE FROM AN UNKNOWN HEAT SOURCE WHERE THE INDIVIDUAL SUFFERED BURNS TO THE SKIN AND WAS TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL AND ADMITTED. AN INVESTIGATION DETERMINED THAT THE FUEL SOURCE COULD NOT HAVE BEEN NATURAL GAS BASED ON THE LOCATION WHERE THE NATURAL GAS WAS BEING EMITTED OUTSIDE THE BRIDGE ABUTMENT THROUGH THE CASING. EVEN THOUGH THERE WERE NO REMAINING GASES TO DETERMINE THE EXACT SOURCE, IT WAS ORIGINALLY SUSPECTED AND REPORTED THAT THE GASES THAT IGNITED WERE DUE TO INCOMPLETELY COMBUSTIBLE GAS COMPOSITIONS, SUCH AS CARBON MONOXIDE OR OTHER TYPE OF GASEOUS COMPOUNDS TYPICAL OF THE TYPES OF MATERIALS BEING BURNED, GENERALLY FOUND IN SMOKE OR ""SMOKE GAS"". HOWEVER, THROUGH AN INVESTIGATION BY AN INDEPENDENT CONSULTANT IT WAS IDENTIFIED THAT THE FLASH FIRE WAS MORE LIKELY CAUSED BY THE INJURED PARTY'S IGNITION OF A FLAMMABLE SOURCE SUCH AS A BUG BOMB (MULTIPLE CANISTERS FOUND IN THE AREA) OR OTHER FLAMMABLE SUBSTANCE.