Columbia Gas Fined $400,000 For Avon House Fire

AVON, OH — Columbia Gas has been fined $400,000 for contributing to a house fire in Avon, the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) announced this week.

“The safe operation of utility systems should be the number one priority for Ohio’s regulated utilities,” stated PUCO Chairman Asim Z. Haque.

In August 2017, a home in Avon caught fire. The ensuing blaze caused more than $83,000 in property damage.

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PUCO staff investigated the cause of the fire and discovered that, while installing a new water line, an excavator hit an unmarked 2-inch natural gas service line. Columbia's records failed to identify the natural gas service line, PUCO said.

When Columbia was called to the scene, they couldn't locate the natural gas service line that was feeding the fire at the home, PUCO added.

In the ensuring investigation, PUCO found that Columbia Gas did not follow its own operating procedures when abandoning the service line in 2012. The company failed to disconnect the service line properly from the main line.

The secondary gas line remained pressurized, according to the PUCO's records.

PUCO further added that on multiple occasions, Columbia did not investigate contradicting records the referenced two existing service lines at the property. PUCO investigators also said Columbia did not respond in a timely manner to the house fire, meaning the flow of natural gas continued.

The investigation by PUCO found that it took Columbia Gas representatives nearly 50 minutes to respond to the scene of the fire. After the gas line was finally located and neutralized, the Avon Fire Department was able to extinguish the blaze.

Besides being ordered to pay $400,000 to the state, Columbia has also updated its company procedures regarding underground locating, service disconnections, and emergency response.

The entire investigation by PUCO was shared online.