NEW JERSEY NATURAL GAS CO

Incident Narrative

ON TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2015, A DATALOGGER (PRESSURE GAUGE) USED FOR FLOW STUDIES INDICATED A SUDDEN LOW PRESSURE AT 8:42 A.M. ON CYPRESS LANE IN STAFFORD. AT 9:05 A.M. NEW JERSEY NATURAL GAS (""NJNG"") RECEIVED THE FIRST OF SEVERAL ""NO GAS"" CALLS. THE COMPANY SENT A CREW TO THE AREA. BEFORE THEY REACHED CYPRESS LANE, THE CREW WAS FLAGGED DOWN BY A POLICE OFFICER AT THE INTERSECTION OF OAK AVENUE AND ROUTE 9, WHO INFORMED THEM THAT THERE WAS A GAS ODOR ON OAK AVENUE. THEREAFTER, AT 9:15 A.M. A FIRST RESPONDER WAS DISPATCHED TO OAK AVENUE AND ARRIVED AT ABOUT 9:24 A.M. A STRONG GAS ODOR WAS IDENTIFIED NEAR 59 OAK AVENUE. IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT NO ONE WAS IN THE BUILDING. POLICE AND FIRE PERSONNEL WERE ALREADY ON SITE AND HAD EVACUATED NEIGHBORING HOMES. SOON THEREAFTER, THREE ADDITIONAL CREWS ARRIVED AT 59 OAK AVENUE. A LEAK IN THE STREET WAS LOCATED AND THE CREWS BEGAN JACKHAMMERING THE PAVEMENT. AT 10:32 A.M., AN EXPLOSION OCCURRED INSIDE 59 OAK AVENUE. PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT APPROXIMATELY FIVE INDIVIDUALS WERE EVACUATED BY FIRE AND POLICE. A REQUEST FOR EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE WAS MADE IMMEDIATELY. SEVEN NJNG EMPLOYEES WERE TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL. FIVE WERE TREATED AND RELEASED AND TWO WERE ADMITTED. THE AREA WAS MADE SAFE AT 11:30 A.M. BY SHUTTING A VALVE TO THE STREET, WHICH AFFECTED ABOUT 335 CUSTOMERS. AT 14:30 (2:30 P.M.), NJNG RECEIVED PERMISSION TO RE-ENTER THE AREA AND REMOVE DEBRIS. THE STREET WAS OPENED IN THE LOCATION WHERE THE LEAK WAS FOUND AND A TWO-INCH (2"") COATED STEEL MAIN WAS FOUND TO BE BROKEN AT THE WELD JOINT. THE BREAK WAS 360