Homes evacuated after gas rupture
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, September 15, 1999
Nine Albert Lea homes were evacuated after contractors installing a fiberoptic cable damaged a gas line Tuesday afternoon.
Wednesday, September 15, 1999
Nine Albert Lea homes were evacuated after contractors installing a fiberoptic cable damaged a gas line Tuesday afternoon.
Bill Hareid, operations manager for Alliant Utilities, said the two-inch plastic pipe was marked by the power company for the contractors, but was found damaged after reports of a gas smell near the intersection of Wedgewood Road and Wedgewood Drive.
&uot;Luckily, the gas floated to the open air,&uot; he said, noting disasters often happen when the gas is trapped underground and then explodes.
Once the gas was detected, the Albert Lea Police Department and Fire Department were called to evacuate the residents in a one and a half block area.
While gas was turned off to those homes, Hareid said it was fortunate the pipe was on a spur, only serving a few homes.
&uot;Had it been anywhere else, we would have knocked out the entire area,&uot; he said.
As it stood, Alliant crews were able to locate the pipe and pinch it off for repairs within 30 minutes.
Once the area was determined to be safe, traffic and residents were allowed to return to Wedgewood Drive, shortly before 5 p.m.
After repairs were finished, gas was returned and homeowners were allowed back into the area.
No one was reported injured during the incident.