A complaint has been filed following a house explosion on November 8^th, 2011, alleging that the Pipeline Company is at fault. The complaint, filed by the pipeline safety commission, states that the Pipeline Company had dug a hole in front of the house when they allegedly struck a gas main. Gas escaping from the damaged main migrated into the house and caused it to explode at about 4:15 p.m. Five people were inside the house at the time of the explosion and were all taken to the hospital. One resident stayed at the hospital overnight. The complaint alleges the damage occurred because of excavator error and although the crew smelled the gas at 3:15 p.m., they did not call for help until after the explosion. A hearing has been requested. Fees can be as much as $25,000 per penalty, with a maximum aggregate fine of $1 million. The Pipeline Company says they are taking the case very seriously and have recently completed an internal investigation.  Additionally, safety procedures are being enhanced. A spokesperson for the Pipeline Company said, “The safety and reliability of our gas system and the safety of our customers remains our top priority.” The work being performed at the time of the accident was part of a 20-year, bare-steel replacement project that spans 74 counties. The spokesperson continued, “We are using a number of contractors to help with this work, because it’s above and beyond what our normal field employees do on a daily basis.”

A resident struck a gas line while attempting to illegally bypass a main electrical circuit. The gas line erupted in flames in the backyard that were taller than the house and visible from the street. A neighbor tried to help fight the flames, “I went outside with my hose and I soaked it down. I could feel the heat. It was intense.” Minutes later, the fire department arrived. It took firefighter about two-hours to completely extinguish the blaze. Firefighters searched to home to see if anyone was trapped inside. A city spokesperson described what the firefighters found, “Once inside, they found that the house was being completely renovated and they discovered a large amount of equipment used to grow marijuana.” Investigators confiscated about 150 marijuana plants with a street value of $20,000. The helpful neighbor said, “I would never expect someone like that to be living in the house next door.”

While doing construction work, a contractor inadvertently drove a stake into a buried gas line. According to the fire chief, the gas line had not been marked correctly by the locating service. The immediate intersection was shut down and nine customers lost service because of the leak. No evacuations were necessary.

Telecom Company customers experienced an outage after a contractor working for a rival telecom company severed two Telecom Company cables. Because of the damage, telephone and Internet services were both knocked out. “We appreciate customer’s frustration as we continue to restore their service and we regret the time it’s taking us to do so. Unfortunately, this has been a more complex restoration than most,” said a Telecom Company spokesperson. Tree roots had also damaged the conduits containing the cables, increasing the time needed to make repairs. Technicians had to clear a path inside the conduits, which were full of telecommunications wires, before they could splice the damaged cables.

A road maintenance crew struck a one-inch, liquid petroleum gas line. The business that was fed by the damaged line was forced to close for two-days. “Just before 9 a.m., the crew dug into the ground and hit the line while working along the street,” said the fire captain. To keep people from entering the area, fire fighters isolated the area encompassing one-block in either direction. A HAZMAT crew monitored the air, ensuring that the vaporizing gas did not reach its lower explosive limit. No one was injured or evacuated.

While it remains unclear as to who is responsible for a gas leak that caused a day care center and a community college to be evacuated, it was said that ‘a lot of construction work’ was being performed near the intersection at the time. 40 children were evacuated from the day care center and 200 students and faculty were evacuated from the college. One student recalled the event, “I was freaking out, hoping the building wouldn’t blow up. There would be major fatalities if something like that were to happen.” A spokesperson for the gas company said, “In this case, our folks were able to make repairs and shut off the gas. We encourage everybody to make sure they call before they dig, so they can [sic] make sure they know what is underground before they start digging.”

City workers struck a gas line with a backhoe. The fire department said that the gas lines in the area had been marked out, but that the marks were four-to-five-inches in the wrong direction.

A homeowner ruptured a gas line while gardening in his backyard.  The quarter-inch gas pipe was buried three-inches deep when the resident hit it with a garden spade. “We evacuated a few neighboring homes as a precaution, because the wind was blowing the gas and the smell was spreading,” said the fire chief. He continued, “If the gas found an ignition source, it could explode or burn back to the site of the leak. We blocked the road, to eliminate cars as an ignition source and also to make sure there were no people in the area that could be in danger should the gas ignite.” After about 15 minutes the gas company arrived, determined that the line was not a primary line and shut it off inside the house. The damaged gas line fed a gas grill.

A backhoe operator with the water department was doing routine valve box repair when the bucket struck a three-inch, high-pressure, plastic gas main. Like a geyser, natural gas spewed upwards some 30 feet, with a nonstop hiss. Gas company workers and emergency responders worked for six hours to stop the leak and keep the area safe. The fire chief said no trapped gas was found, making evacuations unnecessary. The water superintendent said that although a dig ticket was called in before digging, whoever marked the location of the gas main was off by about 24 inches.

While auguring a hole for the installation of a new utility pole, a telecom company worker struck a gas line. The fire lieutenant said the telecom crew was working a safe distance from marked lines and in accordance with state one call laws. “It was a relatively small leak that dissipated quickly because of the wind…the telecom company [sic] was working within marked lines. They didn’t realize the feed was on the wrong side,” said the fire lieutenant.