CHEVRON PIPE LINE CO

Incident Narrative

AT 17:10 ON 7-21-12, CPL CONTROL CENTER RECEIVED A CALL FROM THE JEFFERSON CO. SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT REPORTING A FIRE AT 6100 WEST PORT ARTHUR ROAD NEAR THE CPL ROW. THE CPL CONTROLLER CONTACTED JARED SMITH TO INVESTIGATE THE REPORT. JARED ARRIVED AT THE LOCATION AT 17:35 AND CONFIRMED THAT FIRE WAS BURNING AROUND THE CPL ABOVE GROUND VALVE SITE. THE PORT ARTHUR FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED ON SITE AND TOOK THE PRECAUTIONARY MEASURE OF EVACUATING SOME OF THE INHABITANTS ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE ROAD (OPPOSITE SIDE FROM FIRE). AT 17:50 CPL CONTROLLER NOTIFIED THE PT. ARTHUR REFINERY TO SHUT DOWN THEIR DELIVERY TO THE CPL 10"" ETHYLENE PIPELINE. THE REFINERY SWITCHED ETHYLENE PRODUCTION TO THE PLANT FLARE AND THE MAINLINE ETHYLENE BLOCK VALVE WAS CLOSED AT THE REFINERY. ENTERGY WAS NOTIFIED THAT THE FIRE WAS NEAR THEIR OVERHEAD POWER LINES. AT 20:10 CPL EMPLOYEES ON SITE REPORTED A SUDDEN INCREASE IN THE MAGNITUDE OF THE FIRE AND THAT THEY WERE RELOCATING FURTHER BACK AS A PRECAUTIONARY MEASURE. THE FIRE BURNED ITSELF OUT JUST BEFORE MIDNIGHT. DURING CPL'S INCIDENT INVESTIGATION, A WITNESS WAS FOUND WHO STATED THAT LIGHTNING HAD STRUCK A POWER LINE WHICH THEN FELL IN THE VACINITY OF THE CPL ABOVE GROUND VALVE SITE. THE WITNESS STATED THAT THE FIRE BEGAN AT THAT TIME. THE ENTIRE VALVE SITE WAS REMOVED AND TRANSPORTED TO A LAB FOR METALLURGICAL ANALYSIS. THE LAB'S PRELIMINARY REPORT STATES THAT A SEGMENT OF THE PIPELINE RUPTURED AS A RESULT OF FIRE IMPINGEMENT ON THE EXTERNAL SURFACE OF THE PIPE. A SUPPLEMENTAL REPORT WILL BE FILED WHEN ALL OF THE METALLURGICAL TESTS HAVE BEEN COMPLETED AND THE FINAL LAB REPORT IS ISSUED. REPAIRS WERE COMPLETED AND THE DAMAGED SEGMENT WAS PUT BACK IN SERVICE ON 8-19-12. ATTACHED LAB REPORT 10-10-12.