Allentown, PA- More than 30 years before a gas pipeline leak sparked a massive Allentown explosion that killed five people, a recommendation was made to replace that same pipeline, but it was never replaced.
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission announced Monday a leak from an 83-year-old cast-iron pipe underneath Allen Street was identified as the cause of the fatal Feb. 9, 2011, explosion at 13th and Allen streets.
According to state documents, an internal UGI Utilities Inc. work order from December 1979 recommended that same pipe be replaced because it had experienced four breaks dating to 1974.
The pipe was never replaced, and that 1979 work order was the last recorded document regarding any repair discussions for that pipe, according to the utility commission.
That particular detail has the attorney for one of the victims’ family members questioning whether last year’s gas explosion could have been avoided if that repair work had been done.
“Obviously, that is a finding in this report that is troubling, to say the least,” said Christian Perrucci, who represents Manuel Cruz, a family member of three of the victims from the explosion.
The work order for the pipe — which was first installed in 1928 — was detailed in the commission’s formal complaint against UGI for safety violations in connection with the explosion.
UGI spokesman Joe Swope said the company has no comment on the commission’s specific findings, but they will issue a formal response to the complaint within the required 20-day response period.
The commission has concluded UGI failed to properly monitor its facilities and did not respond to signs the pipeline needed repairs. The state agency also identified inadequacies in the company’s ongoing pipeline replacement program.
The explosion destroyed eight houses and killed Ofelia Ben, 69; Katherine Cruz, 16; Matthew E. Vega, 4 months; William Hall, 79; and Beatrice Hall, 74.
Manuel Cruz is the son of Ofelia Ben, the father of Katherine Cruz and the grandfather of Matthew Vega. He has an active lawsuit against UGI in Northampton County Court.
Perrucci declined to further discuss the findings from the commission’s complaint until he could discuss them in person with Cruz.
Family members of William and Beatrice Hall, who were married, settled a wrongful death lawsuit last June against UGI.
The 1979 work order for the 1928 pipe suggested replacing the pipeline after it experienced several breaks and leaks between February 1974 and September 1979, according to state documents.
“Since this main is a major feed for the low pressure system, replacement with 12-inch steel is recommended,” the UGI work order read, according to the commission.
On September 28, 1979, UGI found a “B” leak 273 feet west of North 14th Street. While an “A” leak represents an immediate hazard, a “B” leak means there is no immediate danger to the public, but one could develop over time, according to the state.
“‘B’ leaks should be repaired within a reasonable time after being discovered,” the commission said in its report.
DEADLY GAS EXPLOSIONS
The Feb. 9, 2011, explosion that killed five people at 13th and Allen streets in Allentown was only the latest deadly gas explosion involving UGI Utilities Inc. lines in the city, according to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.
A gas explosion Aug. 8, 1976, at 1127 Oak St. — about a half-mile from last year’s blast — resulted from a cast-iron main break. It killed two firefighters, injured 14 people and destroyed four buildings.
An Aug. 29, 1990, cast-iron main explosion killed one person, injured nine people and destroyed two row houses at 421-423 N. Fifth St.