DELMARVA POWER & LIGHT COMPANY

Incident Narrative

THIS IS THE FINAL REPORT AND IS UNCHANGED FROM THE INITIAL REPORT. THIRD PARTY VEHICLE OWNER'S VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN FRONT OF THIRD PARTY VEHICLE OWNER'S ROW HOME. THIRD PARTY VEHICLE OWNER WAS OPERATING THE VEHICLE AND STATED IN A NEWS REPORT THAT HE THOUGHT HE PLACED THE GEAR SELECTOR IN REVERSE, BUT THE CAR MOVED FORWARD JUMPING THE LANDSCAPED AREA BETWEEN HIS HOME AND THE PARKING AREA AND PROCEEDING TO STRIKE THE GAS METERSET IN FRONT OF HIS HOME CAUSING THE PIPE NIPPLE ABOVE THE RISER SHUT-OFF VALVE TO BEND BACK AND PARTIALLY BREAK RELEASING GAS AND IGNITING. THE CAR WAS ABANDONED IN PLACE, THE FIRE SPREAD TO THE ENTIRE CAR AND TO THE FRONT OF VEHICLE OWNER'S ROW HOME, PARTIALLY DAMAGING HIS ROW HOME AND TWO ADJACENT ROW HOMES. FIRE DISPATCH CALLED DELMARVA POWER TO REPORT THE FIRE INVOLVING THE STRUCK GAS METER. A DELMARVA POWER CREW RESPONDED WITHIN APPROXIMATELY 30 MINUTES AND HAD GAS TO THE MAIN FEEDING THE DAMAGED SERVICE AND 29 OTHER SERVICES TURNED OFF WITHIN APPROXIMATELY 56 MINUTES. AFTER THE FIRE WAS EXTINGUISHED, SERVICES TO THE THREE DAMAGED HOMES WERE CUT OFF AT THE GAS MAIN, RETIRING THE SERVICES. ONCE THE FIRE WAS FULLY EXTINGUISHED AND CONDITIONS WARRANTED, THE GAS TO THE MAIN WAS TURNED BACK ON AND SERVICES TO THE REMAINING 27 ROW HOMES WERE RESTORED. ACCORDING TO NEW CASTLE COUNTY POLICE REPORT NO: 32-14-131736, THE DRIVER RECEIVED A SINGLE VIOLATION OF INATTENTIVE DRIVING. THE ESTIMATED COST OF PUBLIC AND NON-OPERATOR PRIVATE PROPERTY DAMAGE AS NOTED IN PART D IS BASED ON INFORMATION REPORTED IN THE MEDIA REFLECTING POLICE AND FIRE OFFICIALS' STATEMENTS AT THE INCIDENT SCENE.