Incident details
Operator, cause, commodity and consequences with raw source fields.
GD incident on 2019-04-10 — NC
Operator
Public Service Co Of North Carolina
Cause
Excavation Issue
Commodity
Natural Gas
Program
GD
Damage and Injuries
2 fatalities
5 injuries
Property damage (nominal)
$24,381
Incident datetime
2019-04-10 09:35
Report number
Location
NC, DURHAM
Narrative
Revision to original report: final report, d2a updated to $35,000,000, d2e updated to $35,039,922.69. Due to form template updates, injured persons not in a10 were added to d4 and d5, added information to a8, a21a, a21b, b3b, c3c, c3d, c3f, e3a, e3b, e3c, e5, and e6. Public service company of north carolina, incorporated d/b/a name is dominion energy north carolina. Psnc is used in this supplemental report to be consistent with the original report. On the morning of april 10, 2019, a third-party telecommunications contractor (optic cable technology llc), while in the process of boring new facilities via horizontal directional drilling along north duke street in durham, nc, damaged below-ground service line piping in psncs natural gas system. Optic cable technology's three-person crew struck and damaged the service line feeding the structure at 115 north duke street at approximately 9:06am. Optic cable technology's crew did not call 911 but notified nc-811, the state's one-call office, of the damage at approximately 9:31am. Nc-811 automatically generated a damage ticket, which was delivered to psnc at approximately 9:35am. An order was automatically dispatched to psnc's first responder at approximately 9:36am. The first responder reviewed the ticket at approximately 9:43am and began heading to the site. Psnc received a call from 911 at approximately 9:48am, noting that the fire department was already on the scene. Psnc's dispatch contacted the first responder en route to advise him of a gas odor and a damaged line at 115 north duke street. The fire department issued a combination of evacuation and shelter in place orders at approximately 9:58am. Psnc's first responder arrived at approximately 10:03am. Between his arrival and approximately 10:06am, psnc's first responder as well as psnc's dispatch contacted additional psnc resources to assist with securing and making the gas leak safe. At approximately 10:06am, the structure at 115 north duke street exploded. Between 10:26am and 10:50am, additional psnc employees, including a construction crew, arrived at the site. Crews convened at the incident command center to evaluate options to shut off the gas flow. By 11:05am, the crews identified the proper valve, secured the necessary tools, and, at approximately 11:10am, shut off gas flow to the impacted area by closing a valve located approximately three blocks from the scene. The explosion also severely injured a member of optic cable technology's crew, the owner/operator of ps splicing llc (which hired optic cable technology to perform the horizontal directional drilling work), psnc's first responder, and a firefighter. An estimated 25 people were injured in the explosion and taken to local area hospitals, and 5 individuals were reportedly admitted. Psnc's first responder died in the hospital on april 25, 2019 as a result of injuries that he sustained in the explosion. The explosion killed the occupant of the structure at 115 north duke street. The explosion resulted in the structures at 115 north duke street and 111 north duke street being condemned by the durham fire department. Both structures have since been demolished. Approximately 21 buildings in total were reportedly damaged by the explosion. Psnc's investigation has revealed that the service line to the structure at 115 north duke street was struck and damaged during optic cable technology's horizontal directional drilling work. Approximately 1 hour later, and only 3 minutes after the arrival of psnc's first responder to the scene, the escaping gas from the damaged service line ignited and resulted in the explosion. Psnc's underground facilities, including the service line, were accurately located and marked by psnc's contractor (southern cross inc.) prior to the date of the explosion, but optic cable technology's crew failed to pot-hole and verify the location of the service line under the sidewalk as part of their horizontal directional drilling work.
Detailed record list
Occurred At
2019-04-10 09:35:00
Year
2019
Report Received Date
2019-05-10 00:00:00
Iyear
2019.0
Report Number
20190049.0
Supplemental Number
35879.0
Report Type
Supplemental Final
Operator Id
15938
Name
Public Service Co Of North Carolina
Operator Street Address
800 Gaston Road
Operator City Name
Gastonia
Operator State Abbreviation
NC
Operator Postal Code
28056
Local Datetime
2019-04-10 10:06:00
Time Zone
Eastern
Daylight Savings Ind
Yes
Location Street Address
115 N Duke Street
Location City Name
Durham
Location County Name
Durham
Location State Abbreviation
NC
Location Postal Code
27701
Location Latitude
35.59599
Location Longitude
-78.54286
Flow Cont Key Crit Ind
Yes
Nrc Rpt Datetime
2019-04-10 11:17:00
Nrc Rpt Num
1242352
Commodity Released Type
Natural Gas
Unintentional Release
36.0
Intentional Release
0.0
Fatality Ind
Yes
Num Emp Fatalities
1
Num Contr Fatalities
0
Num Er Fatalities
0
Num Worker Fatalities
0
Num Gp Fatalities
1
Fatal
2
Injury Ind
Yes
Num Emp Injuries
0
Num Contr Injuries
0
Num Er Injuries
1
Num Worker Injuries
2
Num Gp Injuries
2
Injure
5
Ignite Ind
Yes
Ignite Datetime
2019-04-10 10:06:00
How Extinguished
Local/state/federal Emergency Responder
Gas Consumed By Fire In Mcf
36
Explode Ind
Yes
Num Pub Evacuated
10.0
Incident Identified Datetime
2019-04-10 09:35:00
Communication State Fed Ind
Yes
Party Initiated Communication
Local/state/federal Emergency Responder
Initial Responder Com Datetime
2019-04-10 09:48:00
On Site Datetime
2019-04-10 10:03:00
Federal
No
Location Type
Public Property
Incident Area Type
Underground
Incident Area Subtype
Under Pavement
Depth Of Cover
18.0
Other Underground Facilities
No
Crossing
No
Pipe Facility Type
Investor Owned
System Part Involved
Service
Installation Year
2008.0
Customer Type
Non-Residential With Meter Capacity Less Than 1,000 Scfh
Was Efv Installed Before Ind
No
Curb Valve Inst Before Inc Ind
No
Pipe Diameter
0.75
Pipe Specification
Astm D2513
Pipe Manufacturer
Performance
Material Involved
Plastic
Plastic Type
Polyethylene (Pe)
Plastic Sdr
11
Material Pe Pipe Code
2406
Release Type
Mechanical Puncture
Puncture Axial
0.3
Puncture Circum
1.2
Class Location Type
Class 3 Location
Est Cost Oper Paid
35000000.0
Est Cost Prop Damage
24381.0
Est Cost Emergency
15542.0
Est Cost Other
0.0
Est Cost Other Details
Unknown. Investigation Is Ongoing.
Gas Cost In Mcf
4.3056
Est Cost Unintentional Release
155.0
Est Cost Intentional Release
0.0
Prpty
35040078.0
Commercial Affected
20.0
Industrial Affected
0.0
Residences Affected
0.0
Num Persons Hosp Not Ovnght
18.0
Num Injured Treated By Emt
2.0
Num Resident Building Affctd
6.0
Num Business Building Affctd
20.0
Accident Psig
58.0
Normal Psig
58.0
Mop Psig
60.0
Mop Cfr Section
192.619(A)(2)
Maop Established Date
2008-01-29 00:00:00
Accident Pressure
Pressure Did Not Exceed Maop
Gas Odorized System Type
Odorized By Others
Gas Odorized Level
2.4
Scada In Place Ind
Yes
Scada Operating Ind
Yes
Scada Functional Ind
Yes
Scada Detection Ind
No
Scada Conf Ind
No
Accident Identifier
Other
Accident Details
Notification From Excavator Via Their Nc-811 Notification
Investigation Status
No, the operator did not find that an investigation of the controller(s) actions or control room issues was necessary due to: (provide an explanation for why the operator did not investigate)
Investigation Status Details
While there are two scada monitoring points on the distribution system, both are located on larger diameter feeder mains approximately 2 miles upstream; the volume of gas lost was inconsequential vs. The line-pack and delivery capacities in these feeder mains such that there was not a significant or correlating resultant pressure drop at these points.
Employee Drug Test Ind
No
Contractor Drug Test Ind
No
Cause
Excavation Damage
Cause Details
Excavation Damage By Third Party
Ex Party Type
Excavation Damage By Third Party
Prior Notification Ind
Yes
One Call System Ind
Yes
State Law Exempt Ind
No
Notify Cga Dirt
No
Public Row Ind
Yes
Public Subtype
City Street
Excavator Type
Contractor
Excavator Equipment
Directional Drilling
Work Performed
Telecommunications
One Call Notified Ind
Yes
One Call Ticket Num
190931483
Locator Type
Contract Locator
Visible Marks
Yes
Service Interruption
Unknown/other
Root Cause Category
Excavation Issue
Root Cause Type
Improper Excavation Practice Not Listed Above
Preparer Name
J***** F***
Preparer Title
Engineer Iii - Pipeline Compliance
Preparer Email
J**********@d*************.com
Preparer Telephone
803-260-3602
Local Contact Name
M***** W****
Local Contact Email
M***********@d*************.com
Local Contact Telephone
919-598-7406
Authorizer Name
S**** S*******
Authorizer Title
Director - Gas Operations Construction And Maint
Authorizer Telephone
704-810-3230
Authorizer Email
S*************@d*************.com
Narrative
Revision to original report: final report, d2a updated to $35,000,000, d2e updated to $35,039,922.69. Due to form template updates, injured persons not in a10 were added to d4 and d5, added information to a8, a21a, a21b, b3b, c3c, c3d, c3f, e3a, e3b, e3c, e5, and e6. Public service company of north carolina, incorporated d/b/a name is dominion energy north carolina. Psnc is used in this supplemental report to be consistent with the original report. On the morning of april 10, 2019, a third-party telecommunications contractor (optic cable technology llc), while in the process of boring new facilities via horizontal directional drilling along north duke street in durham, nc, damaged below-ground service line piping in psncs natural gas system. Optic cable technology's three-person crew struck and damaged the service line feeding the structure at 115 north duke street at approximately 9:06am. Optic cable technology's crew did not call 911 but notified nc-811, the state's one-call office, of the damage at approximately 9:31am. Nc-811 automatically generated a damage ticket, which was delivered to psnc at approximately 9:35am. An order was automatically dispatched to psnc's first responder at approximately 9:36am. The first responder reviewed the ticket at approximately 9:43am and began heading to the site. Psnc received a call from 911 at approximately 9:48am, noting that the fire department was already on the scene. Psnc's dispatch contacted the first responder en route to advise him of a gas odor and a damaged line at 115 north duke street. The fire department issued a combination of evacuation and shelter in place orders at approximately 9:58am. Psnc's first responder arrived at approximately 10:03am. Between his arrival and approximately 10:06am, psnc's first responder as well as psnc's dispatch contacted additional psnc resources to assist with securing and making the gas leak safe. At approximately 10:06am, the structure at 115 north duke street exploded. Between 10:26am and 10:50am, additional psnc employees, including a construction crew, arrived at the site. Crews convened at the incident command center to evaluate options to shut off the gas flow. By 11:05am, the crews identified the proper valve, secured the necessary tools, and, at approximately 11:10am, shut off gas flow to the impacted area by closing a valve located approximately three blocks from the scene. The explosion also severely injured a member of optic cable technology's crew, the owner/operator of ps splicing llc (which hired optic cable technology to perform the horizontal directional drilling work), psnc's first responder, and a firefighter. An estimated 25 people were injured in the explosion and taken to local area hospitals, and 5 individuals were reportedly admitted. Psnc's first responder died in the hospital on april 25, 2019 as a result of injuries that he sustained in the explosion. The explosion killed the occupant of the structure at 115 north duke street. The explosion resulted in the structures at 115 north duke street and 111 north duke street being condemned by the durham fire department. Both structures have since been demolished. Approximately 21 buildings in total were reportedly damaged by the explosion. Psnc's investigation has revealed that the service line to the structure at 115 north duke street was struck and damaged during optic cable technology's horizontal directional drilling work. Approximately 1 hour later, and only 3 minutes after the arrival of psnc's first responder to the scene, the escaping gas from the damaged service line ignited and resulted in the explosion. Psnc's underground facilities, including the service line, were accurately located and marked by psnc's contractor (southern cross inc.) prior to the date of the explosion, but optic cable technology's crew failed to pot-hole and verify the location of the service line under the sidewalk as part of their horizontal directional drilling work.
| Occurred At | 2019-04-10 09:35:00 |
|---|---|
| Year | 2019 |
| Report Received Date | 2019-05-10 00:00:00 |
| Iyear | 2019.0 |
| Report Number | 20190049.0 |
| Supplemental Number | 35879.0 |
| Report Type | Supplemental Final |
| Operator Id | 15938 PHMSA Enforcement |
| Name | Public Service Co Of North Carolina |
| Operator Street Address | 800 Gaston Road |
| Operator City Name | Gastonia |
| Operator State Abbreviation | NC |
| Operator Postal Code | 28056 |
| Local Datetime | 2019-04-10 10:06:00 |
| Time Zone | Eastern |
| Daylight Savings Ind | Yes |
| Location Street Address | 115 N Duke Street |
| Location City Name | Durham |
| Location County Name | Durham |
| Location State Abbreviation | NC |
| Location Postal Code | 27701 |
| Location Latitude | 35.59599 Google Maps OpenStreetMap |
| Location Longitude | -78.54286 Google Maps OpenStreetMap |
| Flow Cont Key Crit Ind | Yes |
| Nrc Rpt Datetime | 2019-04-10 11:17:00 |
| Nrc Rpt Num | 1242352 NRC Report How to search |
| Commodity Released Type | Natural Gas |
| Unintentional Release | 36.0 |
| Intentional Release | 0.0 |
| Fatality Ind | Yes |
| Num Emp Fatalities | 1 |
| Num Contr Fatalities | 0 |
| Num Er Fatalities | 0 |
| Num Worker Fatalities | 0 |
| Num Gp Fatalities | 1 |
| Fatal | 2 |
| Injury Ind | Yes |
| Num Emp Injuries | 0 |
| Num Contr Injuries | 0 |
| Num Er Injuries | 1 |
| Num Worker Injuries | 2 |
| Num Gp Injuries | 2 |
| Injure | 5 |
| Ignite Ind | Yes |
| Ignite Datetime | 2019-04-10 10:06:00 |
| How Extinguished | Local/state/federal Emergency Responder |
| Gas Consumed By Fire In Mcf | 36 |
| Explode Ind | Yes |
| Num Pub Evacuated | 10.0 |
| Incident Identified Datetime | 2019-04-10 09:35:00 |
| Communication State Fed Ind | Yes |
| Party Initiated Communication | Local/state/federal Emergency Responder |
| Initial Responder Com Datetime | 2019-04-10 09:48:00 |
| On Site Datetime | 2019-04-10 10:03:00 |
| Federal | No |
| Location Type | Public Property |
| Incident Area Type | Underground |
| Incident Area Subtype | Under Pavement |
| Depth Of Cover | 18.0 |
| Other Underground Facilities | No |
| Crossing | No |
| Pipe Facility Type | Investor Owned |
| System Part Involved | Service |
| Installation Year | 2008.0 |
| Customer Type | Non-Residential With Meter Capacity Less Than 1,000 Scfh |
| Was Efv Installed Before Ind | No |
| Curb Valve Inst Before Inc Ind | No |
| Pipe Diameter | 0.75 |
| Pipe Specification | Astm D2513 |
| Pipe Manufacturer | Performance |
| Material Involved | Plastic |
| Plastic Type | Polyethylene (Pe) |
| Plastic Sdr | 11 |
| Material Pe Pipe Code | 2406 |
| Release Type | Mechanical Puncture |
| Puncture Axial | 0.3 |
| Puncture Circum | 1.2 |
| Class Location Type | Class 3 Location |
| Est Cost Oper Paid | 35000000.0 |
| Est Cost Prop Damage | 24381.0 |
| Est Cost Emergency | 15542.0 |
| Est Cost Other | 0.0 |
| Est Cost Other Details | Unknown. Investigation Is Ongoing. |
| Gas Cost In Mcf | 4.3056 |
| Est Cost Unintentional Release | 155.0 |
| Est Cost Intentional Release | 0.0 |
| Prpty | 35040078.0 |
| Commercial Affected | 20.0 |
| Industrial Affected | 0.0 |
| Residences Affected | 0.0 |
| Num Persons Hosp Not Ovnght | 18.0 |
| Num Injured Treated By Emt | 2.0 |
| Num Resident Building Affctd | 6.0 |
| Num Business Building Affctd | 20.0 |
| Accident Psig | 58.0 |
| Normal Psig | 58.0 |
| Mop Psig | 60.0 |
| Mop Cfr Section | 192.619(A)(2) View CFR 49 §192 |
| Maop Established Date | 2008-01-29 00:00:00 |
| Accident Pressure | Pressure Did Not Exceed Maop |
| Gas Odorized System Type | Odorized By Others |
| Gas Odorized Level | 2.4 |
| Scada In Place Ind | Yes |
| Scada Operating Ind | Yes |
| Scada Functional Ind | Yes |
| Scada Detection Ind | No |
| Scada Conf Ind | No |
| Accident Identifier | Other |
| Accident Details | Notification From Excavator Via Their Nc-811 Notification |
| Investigation Status | No, the operator did not find that an investigation of the controller(s) actions or control room issues was necessary due to: (provide an explanation for why the operator did not investigate) |
| Investigation Status Details | While there are two scada monitoring points on the distribution system, both are located on larger diameter feeder mains approximately 2 miles upstream; the volume of gas lost was inconsequential vs. The line-pack and delivery capacities in these feeder mains such that there was not a significant or correlating resultant pressure drop at these points. |
| Employee Drug Test Ind | No |
| Contractor Drug Test Ind | No |
| Cause | Excavation Damage |
| Cause Details | Excavation Damage By Third Party |
| Ex Party Type | Excavation Damage By Third Party |
| Prior Notification Ind | Yes |
| One Call System Ind | Yes |
| State Law Exempt Ind | No |
| Notify Cga Dirt | No |
| Public Row Ind | Yes |
| Public Subtype | City Street |
| Excavator Type | Contractor |
| Excavator Equipment | Directional Drilling |
| Work Performed | Telecommunications |
| One Call Notified Ind | Yes |
| One Call Ticket Num | 190931483 |
| Locator Type | Contract Locator |
| Visible Marks | Yes |
| Service Interruption | Unknown/other |
| Root Cause Category | Excavation Issue |
| Root Cause Type | Improper Excavation Practice Not Listed Above |
| Preparer Name | J***** F*** |
| Preparer Title | Engineer Iii - Pipeline Compliance |
| Preparer Email | J**********@d*************.com |
| Preparer Telephone | 803-260-3602 |
| Local Contact Name | M***** W**** |
| Local Contact Email | M***********@d*************.com |
| Local Contact Telephone | 919-598-7406 |
| Authorizer Name | S**** S******* |
| Authorizer Title | Director - Gas Operations Construction And Maint |
| Authorizer Telephone | 704-810-3230 |
| Authorizer Email | S*************@d*************.com |
| Narrative | Revision to original report: final report, d2a updated to $35,000,000, d2e updated to $35,039,922.69. Due to form template updates, injured persons not in a10 were added to d4 and d5, added information to a8, a21a, a21b, b3b, c3c, c3d, c3f, e3a, e3b, e3c, e5, and e6. Public service company of north carolina, incorporated d/b/a name is dominion energy north carolina. Psnc is used in this supplemental report to be consistent with the original report. On the morning of april 10, 2019, a third-party telecommunications contractor (optic cable technology llc), while in the process of boring new facilities via horizontal directional drilling along north duke street in durham, nc, damaged below-ground service line piping in psncs natural gas system. Optic cable technology's three-person crew struck and damaged the service line feeding the structure at 115 north duke street at approximately 9:06am. Optic cable technology's crew did not call 911 but notified nc-811, the state's one-call office, of the damage at approximately 9:31am. Nc-811 automatically generated a damage ticket, which was delivered to psnc at approximately 9:35am. An order was automatically dispatched to psnc's first responder at approximately 9:36am. The first responder reviewed the ticket at approximately 9:43am and began heading to the site. Psnc received a call from 911 at approximately 9:48am, noting that the fire department was already on the scene. Psnc's dispatch contacted the first responder en route to advise him of a gas odor and a damaged line at 115 north duke street. The fire department issued a combination of evacuation and shelter in place orders at approximately 9:58am. Psnc's first responder arrived at approximately 10:03am. Between his arrival and approximately 10:06am, psnc's first responder as well as psnc's dispatch contacted additional psnc resources to assist with securing and making the gas leak safe. At approximately 10:06am, the structure at 115 north duke street exploded. Between 10:26am and 10:50am, additional psnc employees, including a construction crew, arrived at the site. Crews convened at the incident command center to evaluate options to shut off the gas flow. By 11:05am, the crews identified the proper valve, secured the necessary tools, and, at approximately 11:10am, shut off gas flow to the impacted area by closing a valve located approximately three blocks from the scene. The explosion also severely injured a member of optic cable technology's crew, the owner/operator of ps splicing llc (which hired optic cable technology to perform the horizontal directional drilling work), psnc's first responder, and a firefighter. An estimated 25 people were injured in the explosion and taken to local area hospitals, and 5 individuals were reportedly admitted. Psnc's first responder died in the hospital on april 25, 2019 as a result of injuries that he sustained in the explosion. The explosion killed the occupant of the structure at 115 north duke street. The explosion resulted in the structures at 115 north duke street and 111 north duke street being condemned by the durham fire department. Both structures have since been demolished. Approximately 21 buildings in total were reportedly damaged by the explosion. Psnc's investigation has revealed that the service line to the structure at 115 north duke street was struck and damaged during optic cable technology's horizontal directional drilling work. Approximately 1 hour later, and only 3 minutes after the arrival of psnc's first responder to the scene, the escaping gas from the damaged service line ignited and resulted in the explosion. Psnc's underground facilities, including the service line, were accurately located and marked by psnc's contractor (southern cross inc.) prior to the date of the explosion, but optic cable technology's crew failed to pot-hole and verify the location of the service line under the sidewalk as part of their horizontal directional drilling work. |
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