Press Release

Safety Investigation Ongoing Following Deadly Late-May Incident in Pottstown

Published on 6/2/2022

Filed under: Gas

Note: The following information is preliminary and may be supplemented or corrected as the investigation continues.

HARRISBURG – Pipeline safety engineers from the Safety Division of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) – which is part of the Commission’s independent Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement (I&E) – are continuing their investigation into a late-May incident in Pottstown which resulted in five deaths, several injuries and severe damage to a number of homes.

Overview

On May 26, 2022, pipeline safety engineers responded to the scene of a reported explosion and house fire in the 400-block of Hale Street in Pottstown.

While firefighting and recovery efforts were still active at the scene, investigators from the Safety Division began gathering preliminary information from residents, responders, and utilities around that location.

During the days immediately following the incident, after initial fire and rescue activities had concluded, safety engineers began a more detailed investigation at the site – working with other state, federal and local agencies who also responded to the incident.

Continuing Investigation

The investigation by the Safety Division is active and ongoing, exploring the cause and circumstances surrounding this incident, along with whether there are any violations of state or federal pipeline safety regulations. The Safety Division has worked closely with other agencies during the emergency response and initial stages of the investigation and will carefully consider any additional information from those entities as the broader safety investigation continues.

The Safety Division recognizes the strong public interest in these types of incidents, especially for those who have been directly impacted, and works to address safety concerns in a timely matter. Still, it is important to understand that these are complex circumstances which may require extensive analyses by engineers and other experts, along with laboratory testing and other technical study before conclusions can be reached.

While the full investigation may take up to a year or longer to reach any conclusions, I&E will not hesitate to take immediate action to address health or public safety concerns that are identified.  

The Safety Division appreciates the cooperation of Pottstown officials and various other local, state and federal emergency agencies who were part of the response, along with residents and others impacted by this incident.    

About the Bureau of Investigation & Enforcement

Engineers from the Safety Division are in the field daily, conducting inspections of utility construction, operations and integrity management activities. They also investigate issues discovered during their inspections, along with incidents reported by utility operators and emergency response agencies.

I&E, as the independent investigation and enforcement bureau of the PUC, enforces state and federal pipeline safety and motor carrier safety laws and regulations and represents the public interest in ratemaking and service matters before the PUC’s Office of Administrative Law Judge. I&E has the authority to bring enforcement action, seek emergency orders from the Commission or take other steps to enforce safety regulations and promote public safety.

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Contact:

• Nils Hagen-Frederiksen
  Press Secretary
  717-418-2701
  nhagen-fre@pa.gov