FALLEN ICICLES RUPTURE GAS LINE AND CAUSE A 3-ALARM FIRE IN WESTFORD, MASSACHUSETTS

February 11, 2015

WESTFORD, MASSACHUSETTS (CBS):

Firefighters believe that fallen icicles from an ice dam may have ruptured a gas line and triggered a three-alarm fire at a Westford apartment building.

Residents called 911 just before noon on Wednesday after smelling gas at 9 Bandon Circle.

Firefighters, who were slowed by several feet of snow in the area, found a gas meter at the back of the home that was leaking.

While firefighters were checking the area, flames ignited near the back of the building.

Investigators said it is possible an ice dam gave way and ruptured the gas meter, causing the gas to ignite.

Four families were displaced by the flames, though no injuries were reported.

JIM’S SERVICE CENTER ON CARBON CITY ROAD IN MORGANTON BURNED TO THE GROUND WEDNESDAY, AFTER FUEL FROM A CAR TANK BEING REPAIRED SPILLED AND WAS IGNITED BY A WOODEN STOVE

February 12, 2015

MORGANTON, NORTH CAROLINA:

Officials have determined the cause of a large structure fire that destroyed a longstanding repair shop on Carbon City Road on Wednesday afternoon.

Mechanics at Jim’s Service Center, located at 213 Carbon City Road, were removing a gas tank from a vehicle for repair work, according to a release from the Morganton Department of Public Safety. The tank fell off a jack that was used to lower it, spilling gasoline. Vapors from the fuel traveled to a wood stove in the rear of the repair bay, igniting a flash fire.

The fire quickly spread beyond what employees could put out with fire extinguishers, according to the release. When MDPS arrived on scene, the building was fully involved and everyone had evacuated.

Due to reported explosions and a heavy volume of fire, firefighters set up defensive positions to protect nearby businesses and control the blaze. Responders were on scene from 2:18 p.m. to 6:24 p.m., working with aerial water streams, handlines, and a backhoe.

Nearby residents Johnny Walker and Liz Elsner confirmed that there were explosions as the fire progressed.

“It was really rolling a while ago,” Walker said. “There was stuff exploding. There are air tanks in there, pressurized cans, batteries.”

Of particular concern for firefighters were petroleum products stored in the building. Scanner traffic Wednesday indicated the fire spread to a building full of such items after starting in the repair bay.

Two vehicles were destroyed in the blaze, according to Maj. Mark Bradshaw with MDPS. No charges will be pressed, due to the accidental nature of the fire.

For Morganton resident Cecilia Padgett, the fire was an unexpected blow. She lost her vehicle to the flames, after taking it in for repair work that morning.

“It was just a shock to everybody,” she said. “I don’t know if they’ve ever had to deal with something like that.”

Padgett’s mother, Connie Padgett, said the loss of the service center was also the loss of a community pillar.

“It’s good people who run this shop,” she said. “They’ve done some work on my car, too.”

The building was a total loss, officials confirmed.

PHMSA and FEMA Release New Hazard Mitigation Guidance Document for Land Use Near Pipelines

PHMSA, in coordination with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), released the new guidance document, "Hazard Mitigation Planning: Practices for Land Use Planning and Development near Pipelines." It outlines best practices for communities to reduce risks from pipeline incidents, including those caused by natural hazards. 

It was prepared by PHMSA's Pipelines and Informed Planning Alliance (PIPA) Communications Team and is sponsored by PHMSA in coordination with FEMA as a primer for incorporating pipeline hazards into hazard mitigation plans.


The guidance aims to provide emergency managers, planners, and others involved with developing hazard mitigation plans with the knowledge and understanding of:

• how pipelines operate,
• the common products that may be transported through transmission pipelines,
• the potential impacts (risks) of pipeline incidents,
• and mitigation strategies they can implement to reduce these risks.

FEMA, DOT and the PIPA team work closely together to share program requirements and guidance, and discuss opportunities for collaboration. 

PIPA team contributors include state, federal and local government officials, as well as representatives from the pipeline industry and the general public. To view the new guidance document, Hazard Mitigation Planning: Practices for Land Use Planning and Development near Pipelines, and for additional information and resources to support states, tribes and local communities in developing hazard mitigation plans to build and maintain capabilities to reduce risks from all hazards visit www.fema.gov/multi-hazard-mitigation-planning. 

PHMSA also provides Technical Assistance Grants (TAG) program that can assist local communities with implementing the guidance.

REP. DEFAZIO CALLS FOR AUDIT OF PHMSA PROGRAMS

February 10, 2015

WASHINGTON, DC

The ranking member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has called for a full audit of safety programs within the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.

In a Feb. 3 letter to Department of Transportation Inspector General Calvin L. Scovel III, Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR) said PHMSA had failed to address longstanding issues such as new design standards for rail tank cars.

In the past decade, the National Transportation Safety Board has investigated 12 incidents involving DOT-111 tank cars that carried crude oil and other flammable materials, DeFazio said. NTSB repeatedly recommended that PHMSA adopt new standards, but the agency did not issue a notice of proposed rulemaking until after a train carrying crude oil in DOT-111 cars exploded and killed 47 people in Lac-Megantic, Quebec, in 2013.

Other issues prompted Congress to take action with the Pipeline Safety, Regulatory Certainty, and Job Creation Act of 2011, DeFazio said. Yet “almost none” of the safety measures in the document have been finalized, he added.

“Finalizing these rules is imperative; our nation’s vast 2.5 million-mile pipeline network is aging,” DeFazio wrote. “According to PHMSA, more than 50 percent of these pipelines were constructed in the 1950s and 1960s. The potential for catastrophic accidents is not a matter of if, but when.

RESIDENTIAL GARAGE FIRE CONSUMES HOME IN HAYDEN, IDAHO. NINE RESIDENTS DISPLACED, DOG DIES IN FIRE

February 12, 2015

HAYDEN, IDAHO:

A garage fire that began in a Hayden residence destroyed a three-story home Wednesday morning, rendering it a complete loss.

Northern Lakes Fire Protection District, Coeur d'Alene Fire and Kootenai County Fire and Rescue responded and were on scene for several hours. Northern Lakes Fire Inspector Tyler Drechsel reported that one resident suffered first- and second-degree burns on his hand and hurt an ankle, and a dog died in the fire. 

Three of the nine residents were home when the fire began, but they all managed to get out of the house with no other injuries. A neighbor called 911 to report the fire, which began around 10 a.m.

"They basically lost everything," Drechsel said. "It is a total loss. They will not be able to move back in."

He said the residents were able to exit the home in time because they could smell smoke, but it was also a good thing they had working smoke detectors.

"At this time, the fire appears to be accidental," he said. "We don't believe it to be suspicious."

Drechsel said he believes the rental agency that manages the property is in the process of setting up some kind of assistance for the victims, whose names were not released. He said firefighters were able to provide some financial support through the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 2856 Benevolence Fund, but donations are always welcome to help aid victims in a time of crisis.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.