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April 27, 2005
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| Charles Kenow, administrator of the state Office of Pipeline Safety, told reporters that a plastic pipe worked its way out of the steel T-connector, which distributed gas from a main line through two plastic pipes to the office building and a neighboring building. (Office of Pipeline Safety) |
St. Paul, Minn. — (AP) A natural gas explosion that killed three people last December was due to a metal pipe connector that failed because it was not designed for use on plastic pipe, state officials said Wednesday.
The Dec. 28 explosion in the Anoka County community of Ramsey destroyed an office building that housed Riverview Community Bank.
The natural gas escaped from the failed fitting into the ground, which filtered out the foul odor before the invisible gas seeped into the office building, officials said. The fitting was buried about 40 feet from the building.
Charles Kenow, administrator of the state Office of Pipeline Safety, told reporters that a plastic pipe worked its way out of the steel T-connector, which distributed gas from a main line through two plastic pipes to the office building and a neighboring building.
"This plastic pipe actually pulled out over several stages," Kenow said. "And the fitting that was used, however, was not designed to handle the type of material used in this connection. The fitting was designed for use with steel pipe and not plastic pipe."
Seasonal freeze-thaw cycles might have affected the seal, Kenow said. Frozen ground and pavement above the pipes trapped the gas underground, allowing it to seep through the ground to an unidentified spark inside the building, he said.
The explosion killed the office manager for the building owner, Lorraine Melton, 35, of Elk River, and bank workers Ann Talle, 43, of Anoka, and Lois Self, 49, of Otsego. Passers-by helped rescue bank executive Robert Smith, 60, of Coon Rapids, who suffered severe burns to his face, neck, ears and hands, spinal fractures and two broken legs. He is still undergoing rehabilitation.
Kenow said the building's gas system was installed in 1980 by North Central Public Service Company, which sold the line to Midwest Gas Company in 1986. CenterPoint Energy bought Midwest Gas in 1993.
Now CenterPoint is trying to determine if there are any other instances where such couplings were used improperly, said Tracy Bridge, director of government and public relations for CenterPoint.
"Our goal is to find any problematic couplings that exist in that part of the system and replace them, and do it as quickly as we can," he said. "We don't, as we stand here today, know how many of these potential couplings might be out there. That is the purpose of the investigation."
Ramsey is a town of about 12,500 people about 25 miles northwest of the Twin Cities.
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