​​On December 13, 2005, at 9:26 a.m., an apartment building exploded in Bergenfield, New Jersey, after natural gas migrated into the building from a damaged pipeline.​ Investigators found a break in an underground 1 1/4-inch steel natural gas distribution service line that was operating at 11 1/2 pounds per square inch, gauge. The break occurred at an underground threaded tee connection downstream from where excavators were removing an oil tank that was buried under the asphalt parking lot adjacent to the building. The break occurred, under the parking lot, about 7 feet 4 inches from the building’s wall. Three residents of the apartment building were killed. Four residents and a tank removal worker were injured and transported to hospitals. The property damage consisted of the apartment building, which was a complete loss.

We ​​​determined that the probable cause of the December 13, 2005, natural gas explosion and fire in Bergenfield, New Jersey, was the failure of the American Tank Service Company to adequately protect the natural gas service line from  shifting soil during excavation, which resulted in damage to the service line and the release and migration of natural gas into the apartment building. 

Contributing to the accident was the failure of the Public Service Electric and Gas Company to conduct effective oversight of the excavation activities adjacent to the gas service line and to be prepared to promptly shut off the flow of natural gas after the service line was damaged.

Contributing to the casualties in the accident was the failure of the Bergenfield Fire Department to evacuate the apartment building despite the strong evidence of a natural gas leak and the potential for gas to migrate into the building.

​​As a result of its investigation of the Bergenfield, New Jersey, pipeline accident, we made safety recommendations listed below:.  

To the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration: Provide a summary of the lessons learned from the Bergenfield, New Jersey, accident to recipients of emergency planning and response grants. (P-07-1) 

To the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs: Establish a requirement that all career and volunteer firefighters receive recurrent training on natural gas safety and incident response. (P-07-2) 

To the Borough of Bergenfield: Establish and implement written operating procedures for responding to natural gas incidents and emergencies. (P-07-3) 

To the American Tank Service Company: Establish and implement written procedures for safe excavation near pipelines, and provide initial and recurrent training on these procedures to employees. (P07-4) 

To the Public Service Electric and Gas Company: Modify your excavation damage prevention program and emergency plan to require site-specific risk assessments of excavators’ plans, and implement procedures to effectively manage the risk, such as increased surveillance of excavator actions to protect the pipeline and ensuring that gas shut-off valves are tested so that they can be closed promptly if the pipeline is damaged. (P-07-5) 

To the International Association of Fire Chiefs: Notify your members of the circumstances surrounding the December 13, 2005, accident in Bergenfield, New Jersey, and urge them to establish and implement procedures for emergency responders to rapidly assess situations involving natural gas leaks and to determine whether prompt evacuations are warranted. (P-07-6​)