Pipeline Accident Report - Columbia Gas of Virginia, Inc., Natural Gas Explosion and Fire, Stanardsville, Virginia, October 24, 1979

摘要

At 10:12 a.m., e.d.t., on October 24, 1979, an explosion and fire destroyed the Greene County Courthouse, gutted a connecting building which was under construction, and damaged nearby buildings in Stanardsville, Virginia. Thirteen persons were injured and the property damage was extensive. The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the accident was the rupturing of a natural gas service line by excavation equipment, which permitted the unrestricted escape of gas under 15-psig pressure into the basement of the building where it was ignited by an undetermined source. Contributing to the accident were the lack of a 'one-call' notification system, the failure of the county authorities through the architect to include the location of the service line on the construction blueprints and to notify the gas company of the planned excavation, and the absence of an installed excess flow valve in the service line. The gas company and the general contractor, who were both aware of the construction activities and of the existence of active gas lines in the area, also contributed to the accident by failing to communicate with each other to determine the location of the gas line.