PACIFIC GAS & ELECTRIC CO

Incident Narrative

ON JANUARY 17, 2016 AT 1659 HOURS, PG&E WAS NOTIFIED OF A POTENTIAL GAS-RELATED EXPLOSION AND FIRE ASSOCIATED WITH AN INSIDE METER SET AT 61 MARR AVENUE IN OAKLAND. PG&ES GAS SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE (GSR) ARRIVED ON-SITE AT 1734 HOURS. UPON THE GSRS ARRIVAL, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT SHUT OFF THE GAS AT THE METER AND HAD THE FIRE UNDER CONTROL. PER THE FIRE REPORT FROM THE OAKLAND FIRE DEPARTMENT, THE AREA OF ORIGIN IS THE VEHICLE STORAGE AREA AND HEAT SOURCE UNDETERMINED. PER THE EXPONENT REPORT, THE AREA OF ORIGIN IS THE CARPORT, POINT OF ORIGIN IS UNDETERMINED, CAUSE OF THE FIRE IS UNDETERMINED, AND THE FIRST FUEL IGNITED IS UNDETERMINED. THE EXPONENT REPORT STATES THAT THERE WAS NO INDICATION OF AN IGNITION OF A NATURAL GAS LEAK THAT COULD HAVE CAUSED AN EXPLOSION IN THE CARPORT OR THE HOUSE. IN ADDITION, THE LOUD BOOMS WERE LIKELY CAUSED BY THE RUPTURE OF PRESSURIZED CONTAINERS, BATTERIES RUPTURING, AUTOMOBILE TIRES EXPLODING, OR OTHER MATERIALS FALLING DUE TO THE FIRE. PG&E'S REPAIR CREW SHUT IN THE SERVICE BY 2100 HOURS, BY CUTTING AND CAPPING THE SERVICE LINE 3 FEET FROM THE BUILDING. THERE ARE NO REPORTED INJURIES OR FATALITIES. POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENT WERE REPORTED ON-SITE. AN INITIAL SPECIAL LEAK SURVEY WAS CONDUCTED IN RAINY AND WET CONDITIONS AND NO LEAKS WERE IDENTIFIED. A FOLLOW-UP SPECIAL LEAK SURVEY WAS CONDUCTED ONCE CONDITIONS WERE DRY AND NO LEAKS WERE IDENTIFIED. THE CPUC & DOT WERE INITIALLY NOTIFIED BASED ON THE INFORMATION AVAILABLE AT THE TIME AND THE CAUSE WAS NOT YET DETERMINED, AND ESTIMATED DAMAGES EXCEEDING $50K.