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

The explosion damaged businesses near Ray and Rural roads and seriously injured four people.

The new pipeline could affect thousands of people in the Valley. It will end up being close to 1,000 miles of pipelines near homes and businesses.

This decision was made following a consent decree as a result of an investigation and entered into between the Office of Pipeline Safety – part of the Arizona Corporation Commission and Southwest Gas.

“It was a shock — complete devastation,” said Tom Ryan, trial attorney for Platinum Printing and Ryan Brothers.

“Metal was bent, doors were sent flying 200 feet, it was just an unbelievable, shocking sight. And I’m still amazed today — that as badly as they were burned — that he lived to tell about it,” Ryan said.

The explosion from Chandler strip mall seriously injured four people, including Ryan’s customers who ran the printing company.

Investigators later discovered a gas leak to be the cause.

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

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“This pipe called 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 showed that this type of pipe is prone to rusting and degrading under the Arizona heat.

“This was a problem 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 breaks whenever it breaks, it doesn’t break. a program, that’s what we found out in this particular case,” Ryan said.

He says this is not an isolated problem either.

“Every residential neighborhood in Arizona and business area in Arizona has access to natural gas, and there’s over ten thousand miles of Drisco M8000 pipeline that’s out there that’s failing. 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 early-degrading pipe — the M8000 has to be abandoned or removed within 6 months of this consent agreement being completed — is very important, it’s a very fast thing when you consider all the pipe that’s out there,” Ryan said.

Second, Southwest Gas agreed to increase patrols of this type of pipeline and others to six times a year.

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

“Ultimately, they agreed to pay a $2 million civil penalty to the state’s general fund. And the important part is Southwest can’t use that $2 million fine to go back and ask for 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 the investigation of the Scottsdale and Chandler incidents to identify root causes and opportunities to enhance the 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 gained from this process leads to positive changes that reflect Southwest Gas’ continued commitment to safely provide natural gas service to our customers and the communities we serve.