PEOPLES GAS SYSTEM INC

Incident Narrative

GREG WARNER (PROPERTY WORKER) STATED THE FIRE ALARM SOUNDED, AND KITCHEN PERSONNEL STATED THAT GAS TO THE KITCHEN EQUIPMENT HAD STOPPED. MR. WARNER THEN WENT TO LOOK AT THE GAS METER, AND DISCOVERED A FIRE IN THE IMMEDIATE VICINITY OF THE METER. HE IMMEDIATELY CALLED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT UPON DISCOVERY OF THE FIRE. PGS CUSTOMER CONTACT CENTER WAS THEN NOTIFIED BY THE FIRE DEPARTMENT OF THE FIRE AT THE BUILDING AND METER, AND OF A GAS LEAK. UPON ARRIVAL, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT EXTINGUISHED MOST OF FLAMES AT THE BUILDING AND METER. A SMALL FIRE REMAINED AT THE BASE OF THE RISER TRANSITION DUE TO ESCAPING GAS. THE SERVICE LINE THAT WAS SUPPLYING THE RISER WAS THEN EXCAVATED BY HAND, AND SQUEEZED OFF TO PREVENT ADDITIONAL GAS FROM ESCAPING AND FUELING THE REMAINING FIRE. IT IS BELIEVED THAT MULCH UNDER AND AROUND THE METER SET CAUGHT FIRE DUE TO A PROPERTY EMPLOYEE DISPOSING AN UNEXTINGUISHED CIGARETTE INTO THE MULCH. AFTER THE MULCH IGNITED, THE FIRE THEN COMPROMISED THE BOTTOM OF THE GAS METER, WHICH BREACHED THE METER CASING, THEN ALLOWED GAS TO ESCAPE AND FUEL THE FIRE. EXCESSIVE HEAT GENERATED BY THE FIRE THEN COMPROMISED THE INTEGRITY OF THE RISER. THAT RESULTED IN A BREACH OF THE SYSTEM AT THE TRANSITION RISER, WHICH FUELED THE SMALLER FIRE THAT WAS DISCOVERED AFTER THE BUILDING AND METER FIRE WAS EXTINGUISHED. THE SMALLER FIRE WAS EXTINGUISHED AFTER GAS FLOW WAS STOPPED TO THE TRANSITION RISER.