BLACK HILLS ENERGY
gas_distribution Incident — PAGOSA SPRINGS, CO — March 2, 2017
Incident Information
| Incident Date | March 2, 2017 |
| Operator | BLACK HILLS ENERGY |
| Commodity | NATURAL GAS |
| Pipeline Type | gas_distribution |
Location
| City | PAGOSA SPRINGS |
| State | CO |
| County | ARCHULETA |
| Coordinates | 37.28310, -107.10090 |
Cause
| Cause | OTHER OUTSIDE FORCE DAMAGE |
| Subcause | OTHER OUTSIDE FORCE DAMAGE |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $300 |
| Emergency Response | $500 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
"AT APPROXIMATELY 4:30 AM ON MARCH 2, 2017 A FIRE OCCURRED AT THE RESIDENCE OF SAMUEL SITTON AT 97 SUMAC COURT, PAGOSA SPRINGS, COLORADO. GAS LEAKED FROM A CRACKED SECTION OF JURISDICTIONAL PIPE ABOVE THE RISER AND NEXT TO THE GAS METER. THIS GAS MIGRATED INTO THE RESIDENCE, WHERE IT WAS IGNITED. THERE WAS NO EXPLOSION, BUT A SUSTAINED FIRE CAUSED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE RESIDENCE. NO ONE WAS INJURED. BLACK HILLS WAS NOTIFIED AT 4:45_ A.M. AND RESPONDED TO THE SCENE AT 4:55 A.M. IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT GAS SERVICE TO THE RESIDENCE WAS OFF. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE HOMEOWNER NEGATIVE NEGLIGENTLY ALLOWED A LARGE ACCUMULATION OF SNOW, UP TO THE EAVE LEVEL, TO DEVELOP OVER THE GAS METER AND PIPING. THE GAS PIPE DEVELOPED A CRACK AS A RESULT OF THE DOWNWARD FORCE OF THE ACCUMULATED SNOW. THERE WERE NO REPAIRS UNDERTAKEN, AS THE HOMEOWNER DECIDED TO TEAR DOWN THE HOUSE AND CONSTRUCT A NEW HOUSE AT THIS LOCATION. BLACK HILLS REESTABLISHED NATURAL GAS SERVICE TO THE NEW HOUSE. THE ORIGINAL SERVICE LINE AND METER WERE NOT USED. A NEW SERVICE LINE AND METER WERE INSTALLED ONCE THE NEW HOUSE WAS CONSTRUCTED. IN ORDER TO PREVENT A RECURRENCE, THE NEW GAS METER WAS LOCATED ON THE GABLE END OF THE HOUSE."
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.