'It Wasn't Our Finest Moment:' People's Gas Apologizes For Role In Penn Hills Fire
PENN HILLS, Pa. (KDKA) -- People's Gas apologized to Penn Hills for its role in the destruction at the Churchill Center fire in Penn Hills.
The fire, along Pennoak Drive, had crews on the scene for more than 12 hours fighting the blaze, which broke out around 7:30 p.m. Sunday.
Penn Hills first responders and administrators could not have been more direct blaming People's Gas for the total destruction of the plaza.
"We take responsibility for what our job here is and having the gas flowing that was the main culprit of the fire," People's Gas CEO Morgan O'Brien told KDKA's John Shumway. "We also have an obligation to the folks who were the tenants of that building."
O'Brien called Penn Hills and asked for a meeting.
"I want to start with an apology and then talk about how we make sure this never happens again," O'Brien said.
Penn Hills Municipal Manager Scott Andrejchak emerged from the meeting with O'Brien pleased with their plans to work together on mapping lines and training. Andrejchak said he accepted the gas company's apology.
O'Brien said the five-hour delay in getting the gas turned off was not for a lack of caring or trying on the part of his crews.
People's Gas arrived on the scene and quickly shut off two of the three gas lines, but a third continued to flow.
People's Gas said the gas line was improperly marked as a water line and it took a while to figure that out.
O'Brien said there were a lot of things that went wrong to create the lengthy cut-off. Ultimately, he credited a veteran with People's Gas with identifying the problem.
"It wasn't our finest moment," O'Brien said. "That's the bottom line."
Four firefighters were injured after a buildup of gas caused an explosion while three more were overcome by heat and smoke. All the firefighters were treated and released.
"We put them at risk," O'Brien said.
"Couldn't feel any worse, O'Brien said. "If it was a family member, it couldn't hurt any worse."
O'Brien said he wants to start the process of regaining the public's faith in People's Gas.
"There's a trust that you want to have and you work hard to establish and when you fall down regardless of the reasons at the end of the day we weren't able to do what they needed us to do," O'Brien said. "We didn't do our best and we can't ever let it happen again."
