CHANDLER, Ariz. – Southwest Gas agreed to pay more than $2 million and work to remove sections of pipe following a gas leak explosion in Chandler three years ago.

The explosion caused damage to businesses near Ray and Rural roads and seriously injured four people.

The new pipeline could impact thousands of people in the valley. This will end up being nearly 1,000 miles of pipes near homes and businesses.

This decision was made following a consent decree following an investigation and was reached between the Office of Pipeline Safety, part of the Arizona Corporation Commission, and Southwest Gas.

“It was a shock, complete devastation,” said Tom Ryan, attorney for Platinum Printing and the Ryan brothers.

“The metal was bent, the doors were sent flying 200 feet, it was just an incredible, shocking sight. And I’m still amazed today – as badly as they were burned – that he survived to talk about it,” Ryan said.

The explosion at Chandler a shopping center seriously injured four people, including Ryan’s customers who ran the printing shop.

Investigators later discovered that a gas leak was the cause.

READ MORE: Chandler community shaken after business explosion leaves 4 seriously injured

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“This particular pipe called the Drisco M8000 had a manufacturing defect that allowed it to degrade in the Arizona heat. And when it degrades, it cracks, and when it cracks, it leaks gas,” Ryan said.

The consent agreement revealed that this type of pipe is susceptible to oxidizing and degrading in Arizona heat.

“It’s a problematic pipeline. Southwest Gas was aware of the problems with the pipeline and they tried to do some things to control it. The problem is that the pipeline fails every time it fails, it doesn’t fail not crash a schedule. That’s what we found in this particular case,” Ryan said.

He says it’s not an isolated problem either.

“Every residential neighborhood and business area in Arizona has access to natural gas, and there are over ten thousand miles of Drisco M8000 pipelines that are down. And when it fails, it can be very catastrophic,” Ryan said.

Therefore, following an investigation, Southwest Gas entered into a consent agreement agreeing to three main provisions:

First, certain pipelines must be abandoned or removed within six months.

“This pipe degrading early – the M8000 must be abandoned or retired within 6 months of finalizing this consent agreement – ​​it’s very important, it’s a very quick thing when you consider all the pipes that are out there,” Ryan said.

Second, Southwest Gas agreed to increase patrols for these and other types of pipelines six times a year.

This is a significant increase from its previous quarterly or annual patrols.

“Finally, they agreed to award a $2 million civil penalty to the state’s general fund. And the important point is that Southwest cannot use that $2 million fine to go back and seek a rate increase,” Ryan said.

In a statement, Southwest Gas said the following:

Southwest Gas worked closely with the Arizona Corporation Commission’s Office of Pipeline Safety during its investigation into the Scottsdale and Chandler incidents to identify root causes and opportunities to improve safety, service and reliability of our infrastructure in the State of Arizona. The Consent Agreement is the result of these efforts and ensures that the information learned from this process leads to positive changes reflecting Southwest Gas’ continued commitment to safely providing natural gas service to our customers and the communities that we serve.