(HE)
THERE ARE NEW
DEVELOPMENTS TONIGHT
---
....IN THE INVESTIGATION
INTO THE GAS LEAK THAT
SHUT DOWN ROUTE ONE-
95 IN PROVIDENCE LAST
NIGHT.
(MM)
TONIGHT, UTILITY
OFFICIALS SAY ----THEY
KNOW WHAT CAUSED THE
LEAK UNDERNEATH THE
HIGHWAY ---
THEY ARE POINTING THE
FINGER AT A CONTRACTOR
DOING WORK ON ALLENS
AVENUE LAST NIGHT.
(HE)
CREWS HAVE BEEN
WORKING ALL DAY TO
REPAIR THE RUPTURED
GAS LINE ---
EYEWITNESS NEWS
REPORTER JARED PLINER
JOINS US LIVE FROM THE
PROVIDENCE MOBILE
NEWSROOM, WITH THE
LATEST ON A STORY WE'VE
BEEN WORKING SINCE
LAST NIGHT.
(JP)
THE ESCAPING GAS WAS
AT 100 POUNDS OF
PRESSURE.
TONIGHT - WHAT THE
STATE'S CHIEF
COMPLIANCE OFFICER IN
THIS AREA SAYS CAUSED
THE BREAK.
STATE OFFICIALS SAY IT'S SAFE
NOW AFTER LAST NIGHT'S
MAJOR GAS LEAK ON ALLENS
AVENUE.
"THIS WAS A DANGEROUS
SITUATION BECAUSE YOU DID
HAVE A HIGH VOLUME OF GAS."
A 12-INCH UNDERGROUND PIPE
RUPTURED NEAR A NATIONAL
GRID STATION UNDERNEATH
THE 95-195 INTERCHANGE. 195
WAS SHUT DOWN DUE TO FIRE
CONCERN AND RHODE ISLAND
HOSPITAL WAS WITHOUT GAS
SERVICE FOR HOURS.
"THE PIPELINE BELONGS TO
NATIONAL GRID. THEY WERE
NOT WORKING ON THIS
PIPELINE AT THE TIME. AN
OUTSIDE CONTRACTOR FROM
MASSACHUSETTS WAS
WORKING AROUND THIS
PIPELINE. UNDERMINED IT.
THEY WERE WORKING FOR
SPECTRA ENERGY."
OFFICIALS SAY THE
CONTRACTOR -- UNITED CIVIL
OF MIDDLETON, MASS -- HAD
BEEN WORKING ON SPECTRA'A
INTERSTATE GAS PIPELINE.
"AT THIS POINT, WE'RE GOING
TO ISSUE A NOTICE OF
PROBABLE VIOLATION TO THE
MASSACHUSETTS COMPANY
FOR NOT SECURING THAT PIPE.
WHEN YOU UNDERMINE A PIPE,
YOU HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT
IT'S STABLE."
"WE BELIEVE THE INCIDENT
OCCURRED BECAUSE IT WAS
NOT SHORED UP PROPERLY.
POSSIBLY DUE TO VIBRATION,
EXPANSION, CONTRACTION, IT
MOVED."
THE LEAK CONTINUED FOR
THREE HOURS WHILE CREWS
WORKED TO FIND THE
CORRECT SHUTOFF VALVES -
ONES THAT DIDN'T LEAD TO
OVER-PRESSURE OR CUT
SERVICE TO TENS OF
THOUSANDS OF CUSTOMERS.
THERE WERE TWO VALVES
CLOSE TO THE LEAK, BUT
OFFICIALS SAID IT WAS TOO
DANGEROUS TO ACCESS THEM.
INCREDIBLY, REMOTE
CONTROLLED VALVES COULD
HAVE CUT THE RESPONSE
TIME.
"THOSE ARE GOING IN, BELIEVE
IT OR NOT, NEXT WEEK.
"YES. I KNOW IT'S HARD TO
BELIEVE. BUT THAT'S WHAT
WAS GOING TO HAPPEN
THERE."
(JP)
WE REACHED OUT TO
SPECTRA FOR COMMENT,
BUT HAVE NOT HEARD
BACK.
NEW AT 6 -- WHAT KIND OF
FINES COULD BE LEVIED
HERE AND HOW EASILY
DOES THIS GAS IGNITE?
LIVE IN PROVIDENCE WITH
THE MOBILE NEWSROOM,
JARED PLINER,
EYEWITNESS NEWS.
(HE)
WE BEGIN TONIGHT WITH
THE LATEST ON THE
INVESTIGATION INTO LAST
NIGHT'S SCARY GAS LEAK
IN PROVIDENCE.
(M)
TONIGHT A
MASSACHUSETTS
CONTRACTOR IS BEING
BLAMED FOR THE
DANGEROUS
UNDERGROUND PIPE
BREAK THAT SENT
NATURAL GAS---- BLOWING
INTO THE AIR FOR HOURS
-- CREATING A SERIOUS
PUBLIC SAFETY RISK.
(HE)
WE'VE BEEN ALL OVER
THIS STORY SINCE IT FIRST
BROKE LAST NIGHT.
THE LEAK HAPPENED ON
ALLENS AVENUE BENEATH
THE HEAVILY-TRAVELED 95
-- 195 INTERCHANGE.
IN FACT -- 195 WAS SHUT
DOWN FOR SEVERAL
HOURS AS A PRECAUTION.
FORTUNATELY NO ONE
WAS HURT.
(M)
ALL DAY LONG, CREWS
HAVE BEEN HARD AT
WORK ----REPAIRING THE
BROKEN MAIN --- WHILE
INVESTIGATORS HAVE
BEEN WORKING TO
PINPOINT WHAT WENT
WRONG, AND WHAT
HAPPENS NEXT.
(HE)
TARGET 12 CONSUMER
INVESTIGATOR SUSAN
CAMPBELL IS STANDING BY
WITH NEW INFORMATION
SHE'S UNCOVERED ABOUT
GAS LINE SAFETY IN
RHODE ISLAND.
(M)
BUT OUR IN-DEPTH
COVERAGE BEGINS WITH
EYEWITNESS NEWS
REPORTER JARED PLINER
-- WHO HAS NEW DETAILS
ON THE POTENTIAL
DANGER THAT WAS
AVERTED ... AND THE
POTENTIAL
CONSEQUENCES FOR
THOSE RESPONSIBLE.
Tonight state officials say
they're going to issue a notice
of probable violation to the
contractor -- out of Middleton,
Mass. That could be wider-
reaching after an
investigation.
All is well again after a late
night
natural gas leak on Allens
Avenue
under 195 shut down that
highway,
cut gas service to Rhode Island
Hospital, and detoured
ambulances.
State officials believe a
Massachusetts contractor -
United
Civil - working on Spectra
Energy's
pipeline, failed to shore up a
National Grid pipe, which broke.
Officials say the contractor
could be
fined between 300 and 25-hundred
dollars per state law violation.
200
grand to 2 million if federal
code
was broken.
Officials say an explosion under
the
highway was not the concern last
night...
"The heat from the fire is what
you're worried about."
Is it easy to ignite natural
gas,
shooting up at 100 pounds of
pressure?
"It's hard. Believe it or not,
it has to
be the right circumstances: The
right
humidity, friction, sparks,
people in
the area."
"We're very lucky. Sometimes
these
things do ignite. In Rhode
Island, for
some reason, we have a very good
record of incidents not
igniting. I've
been doing this 18, 19 years and
I
only remember one that caught on
fire."
We reached out to Spectra
Energy for comment. It sent
us a statement that reads:
"We understand that National
Grid will be conducting an
investigation into the event.
We and National Grid had
personnel at the site while
performing the work and there
are no reports that the pipe
was struck or damaged."
JP EWN.