DTE GAS COMPANY

Incident Narrative

ON JULY 2, 2016 AT 02:59 DTE GAS WAS NOTIFIED OF A FIRE FROM THE MELVINDALE FIRE DEPARTMENT AT 3900 GREENFIELD IN MELVINDALE, MI. THE DTE GAS SERVICE TECHNICIAN TEAM ARRIVED ONSITE AT 03:10 AND IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT A VEHICLE HAD HIT ABOVE GROUND PIPING OF A 3"" NIPPLE ON A BLOW-OFF WHICH LEAD TO A RUPTURE OF A 30-INCH PIPELINE OPERATING AT 540 PSIG AT THE DTE GAS RIVER ROUGE FACILITY. DTE GAS COORDINATED WITH FIRST RESPONDERS TO CONTAIN THE INCIDENT. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE VEHICLE CROSSED THROUGH THE STATION YARD AND STRUCK THE 3"" NIPPLE ON A BLOW-OFF, THE LEAKING GAS DID IGNITE WHICH CAUSE THE 30-INCH PIPELINE RUPTURE. THERE WAS ONE INJURY TO THE DRIVER. THE DRIVER APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN INTOXICATED PRIOR TO THE VEHICLE STRIKING THE 3"" NIPPLE ON A BLOW-OFF. DTE GAS CONTROL WAS ABLE TO CLOSE THE REMOTE VALVE AND THE LEAKING GAS WAS STOPPED. AS A RESULT OF THE INCIDENT, OAKWOOD HOSPITAL, DEARBORN INDUSTRIAL GENERATION AND MARATHON DETROIT REFINERY WERE WITHOUT HIGH PRESSURE GAS. OAKWOOD HOSPITAL WAS RETURN TO SERVICE ON AFTERNOON OF JULY 2, 2016. DEARBORN INDUSTRIAL GENERATION AND MARATHON DETROIT REFINERY WERE RETURNED TO SERVICE AT 12 NOON ON JULY 12, 2016. REMEDIATION OF THE RIVER ROUGE GAS FACILITY WAS COMPLETED IN SEPTEMBER OF 2016 .