Incident details
Operator, cause, commodity and consequences with raw source fields.
GD incident on 2020-06-13 — NC
Operator
Public Service Co Of North Carolina
Cause
Other Incident Cause
Commodity
Natural Gas
Program
GD
Damage and Injuries
0 fatalities
1 injury
Property damage (nominal)
$63,136
Incident datetime
2020-06-13 09:30
Report number
Location
NC, WAKE
Narrative
This supplemental and final report was submitted on july 13, 2022. At approximately 9:30 am, on june 13, 2020, dominion energy north carolina received a 911-call reporting an explosion at 1347 courtland drive in raleigh, nc. 911 reported to denc that an explosion occurred in the crawl space of the home at 1347 courtland. Denc crews did not observe any fire at the house. A contractor working for the homeowner of 1347 courtland was reportedly injured at the scene when the explosion occurred. At the time of the explosion, the contractor was in the crawl space underneath the home performing work on the homeowner's hvac system. The contractor was reportedly burned by the explosion and transported to the local burn hospital. Four neighboring homes, along with 1347 courtland, were all evacuated (I.E., 1345, 1347, 1349, 1401, 1403 courtland). The residents of 1401 and 1403 courtland were allowed to return to their homes within days of the incident. As of august 2020, the residents of 1345 and 1349 courtland had returned to their homes. The home at 1347 courtland sustained structural damage and is not habitable. On the day of the incident, denc discovered a natural gas leak near the transition between the steel tapping tee and the plastic service line that served 1345 courtland. The responding denc crew stopped the leak by running the tapping tee cutter down. As a precaution, the tapping tee at 1347 courtland was also shut off by running down the tapping tee perforator/stop for the service line. Both services were later disconnected, and steel caps were welded on. Subsequently, denc exposed the main in front of 1345, 1347 and 1349 courtland and verified there were no leaks. A portion of the steel tapping tee and plastic service line to 1345 courtland with the verified leak was removed and preserved for further testing. A leak flow test using compressed air was performed on the subject pipe in a laboratory setting on november 5, 2020. At 60.0 psi, the leak rate was 66 scfh of air, which converts to approximately 89.2 scfh of natural gas. Using this leak rate, denc estimates the amount of lost gas to be 295.43 mcf and the cost of lost gas to be $1,371. Denc retained investigators who examined the scene. These investigators observed oxy-acetylene tanks laying on their side in the crawl space of 1347 courtland after the incident. The investigators assessed blast dynamics and observed isolated burn damage. Specifically, they found little to no flame propagation. The photographs after the incident demonstrate that neither the wood joists in the crawl space nor the foam insulation were burned. These findings suggest ignition of a discrete amount of gaseous fuel. While the exact amount of gas consumed in the incident is indeterminable, denc estimates that it was less than 1 mcf. (note: part a.21c will only allow a minimum of 1 mcf to be entered). The investigators' gas migration modeling suggests that near-zero gas flow would migrate from the service line fracture to the foundation wall of the home, even with the highest simulated permeability values (I.E., 1.0x10-3 cm2). In light of the physical findings and gas migration modeling results, investigators questioned whether other potential contributing factors may have led to this incident. Specifically, the oxy-acetylene tanks and related equipment, which were in the crawl space when the investigators first arrived on scene and in use by the hvac contractor at the time of the incident, later went missing as of august 3, 2020 and have not been recovered to date. The hvac contractor's employer confirmed that they did not maintain records for the missing tanks and related equipment. Denc classifies the apparent cause of this incident as unknown (part g8). This concludes denc's investigation into this incident. Initial nrc incident report #1279507, was made on 06/13/20 at 12:52 et 48-hour update nrc #1279640, was made on 06/15/20 16:51 et ldf 1345/306401 & 1347/306389
Detailed record list
Occurred At
2020-06-13 09:30:00
Year
2020
Report Received Date
2020-07-13 00:00:00
Iyear
2020.0
Report Number
20200063.0
Supplemental Number
36851.0
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
2020-06-13 09:30:00
Time Zone
Eastern
Daylight Savings Ind
No
Location Street Address
1347 Courtland Drive
Location City Name
Raleigh
Location County Name
Wake
Location State Abbreviation
NC
Location Postal Code
27604
Location Latitude
35.7995286
Location Longitude
-78.6303226
Flow Cont Other Ind
Yes
Flow Cont Other Detail
Ran Down Tapping Tee Cutter
Nrc Rpt Datetime
2020-06-13 12:52:00
Nrc Rpt Num
1279507
Commodity Released Type
Natural Gas
Unintentional Release
295.43
Intentional Release
0.0
Fatality Ind
No
Fatal
0
Injury Ind
Yes
Num Emp Injuries
0
Num Contr Injuries
0
Num Er Injuries
0
Num Worker Injuries
0
Num Gp Injuries
1
Injure
1
Ignite Ind
Yes
Ignite Datetime
2020-06-13 09:30:00
How Extinguished
Other
How Extinguished Other Detail
No Sustained Fire - Only An Explosion. Findings Suggest Ignition Of A Discrete Amount Gaseous Fuel.
Gas Consumed By Fire In Mcf
1
Explode Ind
Yes
Num Pub Evacuated
14.0
Incident Identified Datetime
2020-06-13 09:30:00
On Site Datetime
2020-06-13 09:48:00
Federal
No
Location Type
Private Property
Incident Area Type
Underground
Incident Area Subtype
Under Pavement
Depth Of Cover
30.0
Other Underground Facilities
No
Crossing
No
Pipe Facility Type
Investor Owned
System Part Involved
Service
Installation Year
2020.0
Customer Type
Single Family Residential
Was Efv Installed Before Ind
Yes
Evf Activation Ind
No
Curb Valve Inst Before Inc Ind
No
Pipe Diameter
0.75
Pipe Specification
Astm D2513-12ae1
Pipe Manufacturer
Performance Pipe
Material Involved
Plastic
Plastic Type
Polyethylene (Pe)
Plastic Sdr
11
Material Pe Pipe Code
2708
Release Type
Other
Release Type Details
Undetermined Whether: Third-Party Damage, Improper Installation, Or Material Failure
Class Location Type
Class 3 Location
Est Cost Oper Paid
690209.0
Est Cost Prop Damage
63136.0
Est Cost Emergency
0.0
Est Cost Other
64257.0
Est Cost Other Details
Labor/transp ($37,064) & Investigation (Air Lab: $4,400; Core Sample $22,793
Gas Cost In Mcf
4.64
Est Cost Unintentional Release
1371.0
Est Cost Intentional Release
0.0
Prpty
818973.0
Commercial Affected
0.0
Industrial Affected
0.0
Residences Affected
3.0
Num Persons Hosp Not Ovnght
0.0
Num Injured Treated By Emt
0.0
Num Resident Building Affctd
5.0
Num Business Building Affctd
0.0
Accident Psig
55.0
Normal Psig
55.0
Mop Psig
60.0
Mop Cfr Section
192.621 M
Maop Established Date
2020-01-27 00:00:00
Accident Pressure
Pressure Did Not Exceed Maop
Gas Odorized System Type
Odorized By Others
Gas Odorized Level
4.5
Scada In Place Ind
No
Accident Identifier
Notification From Emergency Responder
Investigation Status
No, the facility was not monitored by a controller(s) at the time of the incident
Employee Drug Test Ind
No
Contractor Drug Test Ind
No
Cause
Other Incident Cause
Cause Details
Unknown
Other Type
Unknown
Unknown Subtype
Investigation Complete, Cause Of Incident Unknown
Incident Unknown Comments
See Part H Narrative
Preparer Name
M*** N***
Preparer Title
Manager-Gas Operations
Preparer Email
M********@d*************.com
Preparer Telephone
414-788-2462
Local Contact Name
C***** R***
Local Contact Email
C**********@d*************.com
Local Contact Telephone
919-268-7962
Authorizer Name
S**** S*******
Authorizer Title
Director - Gas Operations
Authorizer Telephone
704-810-3230
Authorizer Email
S*************@d*************.com
Narrative
This supplemental and final report was submitted on july 13, 2022. At approximately 9:30 am, on june 13, 2020, dominion energy north carolina received a 911-call reporting an explosion at 1347 courtland drive in raleigh, nc. 911 reported to denc that an explosion occurred in the crawl space of the home at 1347 courtland. Denc crews did not observe any fire at the house. A contractor working for the homeowner of 1347 courtland was reportedly injured at the scene when the explosion occurred. At the time of the explosion, the contractor was in the crawl space underneath the home performing work on the homeowner's hvac system. The contractor was reportedly burned by the explosion and transported to the local burn hospital. Four neighboring homes, along with 1347 courtland, were all evacuated (I.E., 1345, 1347, 1349, 1401, 1403 courtland). The residents of 1401 and 1403 courtland were allowed to return to their homes within days of the incident. As of august 2020, the residents of 1345 and 1349 courtland had returned to their homes. The home at 1347 courtland sustained structural damage and is not habitable. On the day of the incident, denc discovered a natural gas leak near the transition between the steel tapping tee and the plastic service line that served 1345 courtland. The responding denc crew stopped the leak by running the tapping tee cutter down. As a precaution, the tapping tee at 1347 courtland was also shut off by running down the tapping tee perforator/stop for the service line. Both services were later disconnected, and steel caps were welded on. Subsequently, denc exposed the main in front of 1345, 1347 and 1349 courtland and verified there were no leaks. A portion of the steel tapping tee and plastic service line to 1345 courtland with the verified leak was removed and preserved for further testing. A leak flow test using compressed air was performed on the subject pipe in a laboratory setting on november 5, 2020. At 60.0 psi, the leak rate was 66 scfh of air, which converts to approximately 89.2 scfh of natural gas. Using this leak rate, denc estimates the amount of lost gas to be 295.43 mcf and the cost of lost gas to be $1,371. Denc retained investigators who examined the scene. These investigators observed oxy-acetylene tanks laying on their side in the crawl space of 1347 courtland after the incident. The investigators assessed blast dynamics and observed isolated burn damage. Specifically, they found little to no flame propagation. The photographs after the incident demonstrate that neither the wood joists in the crawl space nor the foam insulation were burned. These findings suggest ignition of a discrete amount of gaseous fuel. While the exact amount of gas consumed in the incident is indeterminable, denc estimates that it was less than 1 mcf. (note: part a.21c will only allow a minimum of 1 mcf to be entered). The investigators' gas migration modeling suggests that near-zero gas flow would migrate from the service line fracture to the foundation wall of the home, even with the highest simulated permeability values (I.E., 1.0x10-3 cm2). In light of the physical findings and gas migration modeling results, investigators questioned whether other potential contributing factors may have led to this incident. Specifically, the oxy-acetylene tanks and related equipment, which were in the crawl space when the investigators first arrived on scene and in use by the hvac contractor at the time of the incident, later went missing as of august 3, 2020 and have not been recovered to date. The hvac contractor's employer confirmed that they did not maintain records for the missing tanks and related equipment. Denc classifies the apparent cause of this incident as unknown (part g8). This concludes denc's investigation into this incident. Initial nrc incident report #1279507, was made on 06/13/20 at 12:52 et 48-hour update nrc #1279640, was made on 06/15/20 16:51 et ldf 1345/306401 & 1347/306389
| Occurred At | 2020-06-13 09:30:00 |
|---|---|
| Year | 2020 |
| Report Received Date | 2020-07-13 00:00:00 |
| Iyear | 2020.0 |
| Report Number | 20200063.0 |
| Supplemental Number | 36851.0 |
| 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 | 2020-06-13 09:30:00 |
| Time Zone | Eastern |
| Daylight Savings Ind | No |
| Location Street Address | 1347 Courtland Drive |
| Location City Name | Raleigh |
| Location County Name | Wake |
| Location State Abbreviation | NC |
| Location Postal Code | 27604 |
| Location Latitude | 35.7995286 Google Maps OpenStreetMap |
| Location Longitude | -78.6303226 Google Maps OpenStreetMap |
| Flow Cont Other Ind | Yes |
| Flow Cont Other Detail | Ran Down Tapping Tee Cutter |
| Nrc Rpt Datetime | 2020-06-13 12:52:00 |
| Nrc Rpt Num | 1279507 NRC Report How to search |
| Commodity Released Type | Natural Gas |
| Unintentional Release | 295.43 |
| Intentional Release | 0.0 |
| Fatality Ind | No |
| Fatal | 0 |
| Injury Ind | Yes |
| Num Emp Injuries | 0 |
| Num Contr Injuries | 0 |
| Num Er Injuries | 0 |
| Num Worker Injuries | 0 |
| Num Gp Injuries | 1 |
| Injure | 1 |
| Ignite Ind | Yes |
| Ignite Datetime | 2020-06-13 09:30:00 |
| How Extinguished | Other |
| How Extinguished Other Detail | No Sustained Fire - Only An Explosion. Findings Suggest Ignition Of A Discrete Amount Gaseous Fuel. |
| Gas Consumed By Fire In Mcf | 1 |
| Explode Ind | Yes |
| Num Pub Evacuated | 14.0 |
| Incident Identified Datetime | 2020-06-13 09:30:00 |
| On Site Datetime | 2020-06-13 09:48:00 |
| Federal | No |
| Location Type | Private Property |
| Incident Area Type | Underground |
| Incident Area Subtype | Under Pavement |
| Depth Of Cover | 30.0 |
| Other Underground Facilities | No |
| Crossing | No |
| Pipe Facility Type | Investor Owned |
| System Part Involved | Service |
| Installation Year | 2020.0 |
| Customer Type | Single Family Residential |
| Was Efv Installed Before Ind | Yes |
| Evf Activation Ind | No |
| Curb Valve Inst Before Inc Ind | No |
| Pipe Diameter | 0.75 |
| Pipe Specification | Astm D2513-12ae1 |
| Pipe Manufacturer | Performance Pipe |
| Material Involved | Plastic |
| Plastic Type | Polyethylene (Pe) |
| Plastic Sdr | 11 |
| Material Pe Pipe Code | 2708 |
| Release Type | Other |
| Release Type Details | Undetermined Whether: Third-Party Damage, Improper Installation, Or Material Failure |
| Class Location Type | Class 3 Location |
| Est Cost Oper Paid | 690209.0 |
| Est Cost Prop Damage | 63136.0 |
| Est Cost Emergency | 0.0 |
| Est Cost Other | 64257.0 |
| Est Cost Other Details | Labor/transp ($37,064) & Investigation (Air Lab: $4,400; Core Sample $22,793 |
| Gas Cost In Mcf | 4.64 |
| Est Cost Unintentional Release | 1371.0 |
| Est Cost Intentional Release | 0.0 |
| Prpty | 818973.0 |
| Commercial Affected | 0.0 |
| Industrial Affected | 0.0 |
| Residences Affected | 3.0 |
| Num Persons Hosp Not Ovnght | 0.0 |
| Num Injured Treated By Emt | 0.0 |
| Num Resident Building Affctd | 5.0 |
| Num Business Building Affctd | 0.0 |
| Accident Psig | 55.0 |
| Normal Psig | 55.0 |
| Mop Psig | 60.0 |
| Mop Cfr Section | 192.621 M View CFR 49 §192 |
| Maop Established Date | 2020-01-27 00:00:00 |
| Accident Pressure | Pressure Did Not Exceed Maop |
| Gas Odorized System Type | Odorized By Others |
| Gas Odorized Level | 4.5 |
| Scada In Place Ind | No |
| Accident Identifier | Notification From Emergency Responder |
| Investigation Status | No, the facility was not monitored by a controller(s) at the time of the incident |
| Employee Drug Test Ind | No |
| Contractor Drug Test Ind | No |
| Cause | Other Incident Cause |
| Cause Details | Unknown |
| Other Type | Unknown |
| Unknown Subtype | Investigation Complete, Cause Of Incident Unknown |
| Incident Unknown Comments | See Part H Narrative |
| Preparer Name | M*** N*** |
| Preparer Title | Manager-Gas Operations |
| Preparer Email | M********@d*************.com |
| Preparer Telephone | 414-788-2462 |
| Local Contact Name | C***** R*** |
| Local Contact Email | C**********@d*************.com |
| Local Contact Telephone | 919-268-7962 |
| Authorizer Name | S**** S******* |
| Authorizer Title | Director - Gas Operations |
| Authorizer Telephone | 704-810-3230 |
| Authorizer Email | S*************@d*************.com |
| Narrative | This supplemental and final report was submitted on july 13, 2022. At approximately 9:30 am, on june 13, 2020, dominion energy north carolina received a 911-call reporting an explosion at 1347 courtland drive in raleigh, nc. 911 reported to denc that an explosion occurred in the crawl space of the home at 1347 courtland. Denc crews did not observe any fire at the house. A contractor working for the homeowner of 1347 courtland was reportedly injured at the scene when the explosion occurred. At the time of the explosion, the contractor was in the crawl space underneath the home performing work on the homeowner's hvac system. The contractor was reportedly burned by the explosion and transported to the local burn hospital. Four neighboring homes, along with 1347 courtland, were all evacuated (I.E., 1345, 1347, 1349, 1401, 1403 courtland). The residents of 1401 and 1403 courtland were allowed to return to their homes within days of the incident. As of august 2020, the residents of 1345 and 1349 courtland had returned to their homes. The home at 1347 courtland sustained structural damage and is not habitable. On the day of the incident, denc discovered a natural gas leak near the transition between the steel tapping tee and the plastic service line that served 1345 courtland. The responding denc crew stopped the leak by running the tapping tee cutter down. As a precaution, the tapping tee at 1347 courtland was also shut off by running down the tapping tee perforator/stop for the service line. Both services were later disconnected, and steel caps were welded on. Subsequently, denc exposed the main in front of 1345, 1347 and 1349 courtland and verified there were no leaks. A portion of the steel tapping tee and plastic service line to 1345 courtland with the verified leak was removed and preserved for further testing. A leak flow test using compressed air was performed on the subject pipe in a laboratory setting on november 5, 2020. At 60.0 psi, the leak rate was 66 scfh of air, which converts to approximately 89.2 scfh of natural gas. Using this leak rate, denc estimates the amount of lost gas to be 295.43 mcf and the cost of lost gas to be $1,371. Denc retained investigators who examined the scene. These investigators observed oxy-acetylene tanks laying on their side in the crawl space of 1347 courtland after the incident. The investigators assessed blast dynamics and observed isolated burn damage. Specifically, they found little to no flame propagation. The photographs after the incident demonstrate that neither the wood joists in the crawl space nor the foam insulation were burned. These findings suggest ignition of a discrete amount of gaseous fuel. While the exact amount of gas consumed in the incident is indeterminable, denc estimates that it was less than 1 mcf. (note: part a.21c will only allow a minimum of 1 mcf to be entered). The investigators' gas migration modeling suggests that near-zero gas flow would migrate from the service line fracture to the foundation wall of the home, even with the highest simulated permeability values (I.E., 1.0x10-3 cm2). In light of the physical findings and gas migration modeling results, investigators questioned whether other potential contributing factors may have led to this incident. Specifically, the oxy-acetylene tanks and related equipment, which were in the crawl space when the investigators first arrived on scene and in use by the hvac contractor at the time of the incident, later went missing as of august 3, 2020 and have not been recovered to date. The hvac contractor's employer confirmed that they did not maintain records for the missing tanks and related equipment. Denc classifies the apparent cause of this incident as unknown (part g8). This concludes denc's investigation into this incident. Initial nrc incident report #1279507, was made on 06/13/20 at 12:52 et 48-hour update nrc #1279640, was made on 06/15/20 16:51 et ldf 1345/306401 & 1347/306389 |
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