Texas Eastern Transmission Corporation natural gas pipeline explosion and fire

The Texas Eastern Transmission Corporation Natural Gas Pipeline Explosion and Fire occurred in Edison, New Jersey on March 23, 1994 where a 36" diameter natural gas pipeline broke and exploded into flames next to the Durham Woods apartment complex along New Durham Road at its junction with Interstate 287. The cause of this breakage was the fualt of a local contractor who was trying to bury a truck in the area. The resulting fire destroyed or severely damaged 14 of the apartment buildings. Over 100 residents were left homeless and one death occurred from a heart attack suffered by Sandra Snyder, who was unable to summon emergency workers "amid the chaos." Because the fire occurred so close to the Durham Woods complex, residents in the area also refer to it as the Durham Woods fire.

NTSB

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation found a gouge in the pipe, probably caused by excavation equipment years earlier; in combination with brittle pipe material and excessive operating pressures likely led to the rupture. NTSB also found fault with the lack of automatic or remote-controlled shutoff valves: the manual valves were difficult to reach and close, preventing operators from promptly cutting off gas that fueled the fire. Also, NTSB found that Texas Eastern failed to adequately monitor excavation activity on its right of way.

"One call" system

In response to the fire, New Jersey passed regulations requiring excavators to call a telephone hotline prior to digging so that pipeline companies can mark the precise locations of their pipes on the dig site. By 1996, the "one call" concept became an accepted national practice, although New Jersey lawmakers continued to call for tougher federal laws on pipeline safety.

Tenants' lawsuits

Following the fire, over 2,000 tenants of Durham Woods and nearby residences sued Texas Eastern and 29 other defendants, including the township, Durham Woods' landlord, and the excavator who cracked the pipeline. By 1997, over half of these suits had been settled, most for "$25,000 or less," but with $585,000 going to Sandra Snyder's estate. By 2000, Texas Eastern had paid "nearly $65 million" in settlements.

References

*New York Times; March 24, 1994, "A huge natural gas explosion rocked Edison, New Jersey, late last night, lighting a fierce orange blaze that destroyed several nearby apartment buildings and turned night into day for miles around. At least 10 people were reported injured. The source of the inferno was a natural gas pipeline owned by ..."
*New York Times; March 27, 1994, "Federal investigators found evidence today that a rupture in a gas pipeline that touched off a powerful explosion at an apartment complex here may have been caused by repeated damage to the pipeline from construction equipment. After searching a jagged crater carved by the blast near Durham Woods apartments, ..."
*New York Times; March 30, 1994, The lawyer for an asphalt plant situated next to a natural gas pipeline that ruptured and exploded here last Wednesday said today that the plant's current operators had not done any digging on the property in the 10 years they owned it. The lawyer, Vincent Gentile, said the asphalt ..."
* [http://ny.yahoo.com/external/rnn/storyid/19970929010.html "Gas Explosion Settlements"] , WRNN-TV, Sept. 29, 1997
*Home News Tribune; June 17, 2000, "Houston-based Texas Eastern Transmission Corp. has paid nearly $65 million to settle residents' lawsuits."
* [http://ems.gmnews.com/News/2004/0331/Front_Page/013.html "A decade later, legacy of Edison blast persists"] , Edison-Metuchen Sentinel, Mar. 31, 2004

External links

* [http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/1995/PAR9501r.pdf NTSB Investigation]
* [http://www.rxn.com/~uffda/archive/science/edison.txt Edison, N.J. Pipeline Explosion & MCI] , an hour-by-hour narrative by EMT Daniel J. Januseski
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyMbaZ9FVjA Edison Natural Gas Explosion Video]
* [http://www.apartmentlinks.net/apartments/NJ-Edison-Durham-Woods-Apartments-68996.html Durham Woods Apartments]
* [http://www.duke-energy.com/companies/degt/us/facilities/texas_eastern/ Texas Eastern Transmission] (subsidiary of Duke Energy)
* [http://www.pipeline101.com/PipelinesYou/onecall.html One Call Systems] information from API/AOPL