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Gas
A Wisconsin Public Service crew was restoring gas service to about 50 homes in the area in the 2800 block of Erie Avenue following a gas leak earlier in the day, according to the Sheboygan Fire Department. A City of Sheboygan public works crew struck the two-inch gas line about 2:50 p.m., forcing the evacuation of about a city block and shutdown of service in the area. The leak was stopped about 5 p.m., and WPS was going home to home to get service reactivated. People were allowed to go back to their homes after the leak was stopped, he said. The city crew was doing some sewer work in the area. Fire officials said the gas line that was struck was mismarked.
Link: "Gas leak on Erie Ave. stopped; residents back in their homes "
Sheboygan Press
UF Accident #5505
Sheboygan, WI 05/12/2008
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Gas
A ruptured Dominion East Ohio gas line forced evacuation of 20 homes and three businesses in the town into the late evening. The interim Springfield Township fire chief said workers from an excavating company hit the gas line at about 1 p.m. near the town square while working on a waterline installation project. The evacuees were being housed in St. John’s Lutheran Church until about 10 p.m.
Link: "Ruptured gas line forces evacuation in Petersburg"
Vindy.com
UF Accident #5506
Petersburg, OH 05/12/2008
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Gas
A few homes were evacuated for about 30 minutes after a two-inch gas line break at South Second and West Monroe streets. There were no injuries. A high-pressure gas line in the street was hit accidentally while water utility work was being done. Workers called in the incident. Texas Gas was able to stop the leak on scene without affecting customers. Austin fire assisted with the evacuation, cordoned off the area and stood by with hose lines in case of ignition while the gas company was plugging the leak
Link: "Gas Line Break Evacuates Few South Austin Homes"
The Austin American-Statesmen
UF Accident #5504
Austin, TX 05/10/2008
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Gas
A man working in his yard ruptured a natural gas while using a piece of heavy equipment. Fire crews and Union Gas officials were called to the area. The Rosewood Crescent resident removed a tree stump on his property using a backhoe. Apparently the roots of the tree were wrapped around the gas line, pulling it apart at the gas meter. Union Gas utility crews shut off the natural gas to the home and determined that none of the neighbors had been affected. The homeowner's gas line was temporarily repaired but will require a permanent replacement.
Link: "Gasline ruptures during stump removal "
Thunder Bay
UF Accident #5507
Thunder Bay, Ontario 05/10/2008
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Water
A water main broke on Stockdale Highway near Buena Vista Road at the Park at River Walk closing three lanes of Stockdale Highway and flooding the road. Construction crews were working on a backhoe when they hit the main water line and it broke.
Link: "Water Main Breaks On Stockdale Highway"
KERO 23
UF Accident #5501
Bakersfield, CA 05/09/2008
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Gas
A gas leak in Orange County stopped commuter trains from running, but no injuries were reported.
A Southern California Gas Company spokeswoman said a crew was excavating on Tustin street around 8 a.m. when it hit an 8-inch gas line. She said the line was under heavy pressure and began spewing gas. No evacuations were called. The break was located about 50 feet from a train line and Metrolink trains were halted until repairs were made.
Link: "Trains stopped by SoCal gas leak"
Mercury News
UF Accident #5502
Tustin, CA 05/09/2008
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Gas
The Portage Fire Department was on the scene of a gas leak in the south east end. Residents were evacuated from their homes while the situation was brought under control. The resident responsible on King avenue and 6th street south east had been digging a hole in his backyard when the rupture occurred.
Link: "Portage Residents Forced To Evacuate"
PortageOnline.com
UF Accident #5481
Portage la Prairie, Manitoba 05/08/2008
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Gas
Emergency service crews were called to a potential gas explosion after a 63-millimetre pipe on the corner of Hopetoun and Chapel streets in Bendigo was ruptured. The pipe was ruptured during excavation work in the area. A local gas company was engaged to dig down to the pipe and clamp the leak, near of one of Bendigo’s major arterial roads. Traffic disruption lasted for more than an hour, as roads leading to Chapel Street in the inner-box road system were blocked. The leak was safely plugged by about 10.30 am. Traffic was returned to normal shortly afterwards.
Link: "Burst gas pipe diverts traffic"
Bendigo Advertiser
UF Accident #5494
Bendigo, Victoria 05/08/2008
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Gas
A main road through the city of Springfield was shut down after construction crews hit a gas line. The incident happened around 9:30 a.m. on South Fountain Avenue between Columbia and Main streets. Officials said crews are installing fiber optic lines, but their equipment cut through a one-inch plastic service line. Columbia gas crews responded and had the line capped off in 45 minutes.
Link: "Construction Crews Hit Gas Line In Downtown Springfield"
WHIO TV.com
UF Accident #5495
Springfield, OH 05/08/2008
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Gas
About 40 homes were evacuated near the intersection of Unser and Bridge SW after a construction crew struck an underground fuel line, causing a sizable gas leak, officials said. Several of the homes were unoccupied when the line burst shortly after 11 a.m., meaning only about 20 people had to take refuge at Legacy Church on West Central, an Albuquerque Fire Department spokeswoman said.No one was injured. Public Service Company of New Mexico workers had the leak contained by 12:55 p.m., and the ruptured six-inch pipe was fully repaired by 4:30 p.m. Gas service was not interrupted for any PNM customers during the repair. The residents who had to be evacuated were allowed to return home after the repairs were completed.
Link: "N.M. residents grateful for firefighters"
Albuquerque Journal
UF Accident #5500
Albuquerque, NM 05/08/2008
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Gas
A man has died after he and five other workers were injured in a drilling rig blowout in a southwest Texas oil field. The man died a day after the blast three miles southwest of Carrizo Springs, officials said. All five of the others injured have been treated for their injuries and released, said a spokesman at Brooke Army Medical Center. The Premium Oil Co. drilling crew was working the rig when the drill bit hit a gas pocket, said the Carrizo Springs fire marshal. The bit caused a spark that ignited the gas about 10 a.m.
Link: "1 of 6 hurt in oil field gas explosion dies "
Houston Chronicle
UF Accident #5503
San Antonio, TX 05/08/2008
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Gas
A backhoe hit and broke a natural gas line at North 15th Street and 27th Avenue North. MidAmerican Energy Co. spokesman Mark Reinders said a 2-inch-diameter gas line was severed.
Firefighters and police stood by at the scene until utility crews were able to turn off the flow of gas. No evacuations were necessary. The incident was reported at 12:03 p.m. Emergency personnel were on the scene for about 45 minutes. Utility workers spent much of the afternoon making repairs. Three nearby apartment buildings were without gas service.
Link: "Gas leak stops traffic in Fort Dodge"
Fort Dodge Messenger
UF Accident #5488
Fort Dodge, IA 05/07/2008
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Gas
A Kensington school was evacuated due to a gas leak. About 35-40 fire and rescue personnel responded to The Holy Cross Academy, located at 4920 Strathmore Ave., after receiving a call around 9:30 a.m. to report the gas leak. Fire and rescue teams, including hazmat personnel, remained on the scene monitoring the gas leak. No other homes or businesses in the area have been affected. The gas leak happened after a backhoe struck a 4-inch gas line located on a driveway just outside the main entrance to the school.
Link: "Holy Cross evacuated after gas leak"
Gazette.net
UF Accident #5489
Kensington, MD 05/07/2008
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Gas
A gas line gave way as workers installed sump pumps on the side of the road. Crews spent much of the day securing the gas and pinch of the pipe. They had to bring in special tools to handle the metal piping. Firefighters checked nearby homes to ensure the gas didn't spread.
Link: "Gas Line Breaks"
KSFY.com
UF Accident #5490
Sioux Falls, ID 05/07/2008
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Gas
Students at Urbana Middle School were kept inside the school for several minutes past dismissal time after a construction crew hit a gas line on Michigan Avenue on the south side of the school. Urbana firefighters asked the students to remain inside the school while they monitored the area and the building for natural gas, said a fire division chief. Then students were dismissed through the north entrance to the building. The gas was shut off to the middle school and the Indoor Aquatic Center, but Ameren expected to have it back on within the hour. Firefighters continued to monitor the sewer system for natural gas.
Link: "Urbana Middle School students stay late after gas leak"
The News-Gazette.com
UF Accident #5492
Urbana, IL 05/07/2008
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Gas
Bartow firefighters had to close Hendry Avenue from Main Street south one block to Summerlin again after construction crews cracked open a natural gas line for the second time in as many days. One day earlier, the city evacuated three businesses in that downtown area for about an hour while workers from Central Florida Gas repaired the broken line. The current damage was not quite as bad and didn't require evacuations, fire officials said. City crews were installing water lines along that block of Hendry Avenue and it is laden with utility lines that never have been identified on maps. The hit-or-miss element of the job has worked against the city's crews, a fire official said.
Link: "Workers Hit Gas Line in Bartow Again"
The Ledger.com
UF Accident #5493
Bartow, FL 05/07/2008
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Power
A contractor suffered severe electric shock after he hit 11,000 volts of power while working on the Church Street bridge. The 22-year-old worker, from Wallan, was operating a hammer drill that hit a 11,000 volt cable embedded in the pavement. A police spokeswoman said the worker, whose clothing caught fire in the incident, was taken to The Alfred hospital with non-life threatening burns to his face and hands. Paramedics were called to the scene of the blast, which was initially reported to be a gas explosion, in South Yarra just before 8:30 a.m., a Metropolitan Ambulance Service spokesman said.
It was unclear why the contractors did not know there was a high-voltage cable in the footpath. WorkSafe is investigating the incident with Energy Safe.Cars were prevented from crossing the bridge for two hours, causing early morning traffic jams, and 174 CitiPower customers lost power for an hour.
Link: "Power worker hit by 11,000 volts"
theage.com.au
UF Accident #5480
Melbourne, Victoria 05/06/2008
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Gas
A construction crew working on the White Street beautification project hit a gas line rupturing a 4-inch line and sending emergency personnel and a Yankee Gas repair crew rushing to the site. The accident occurred about 10 a.m. near the Superior Court building, but no one was injured and none of the surrounding buildings, including the courthouse, had to be evacuated. A YankeeGas crew was on the scene in about 20 minutes and sealed off the leak until another crew arrived to make permanent repairs, a spokesman said. That work took several hours to complete. It was the second time in a week that a gas line broke on White Street. On April 29, another crew hit a line a short distance away while reconstructing the White Street railroad crossing. The first leak was more severe than the second and forced the evacuation of several businesses near the crossing. No traffic delays resulted from the accident because cars were already being detoured around the site due to the railroad work. The area where the break occurred had been marked by Yankee Gas under the Call Before You Dig program. Officials said workmen weren't digging in the area when the break occurred. Instead, they had rested the bucket from a piece of construction equipment on the ground above the gas line, and the pressure fractured what the city engineer said was "an old cast-iron pipe."
Link: "Another gas line ruptures on White Street"
The Danbury News-Times
UF Accident #5483
Danbury, CT 05/06/2008
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Gas
A gas main break shut down Route 1 in both directions for a short time. A construction crew hit the gas main, disrupting gas service in the area. Southbound Route 1 traffic was detoured at the Lynn Fells Parkway, and northbound traffic was rerouted at Main Street. The roadway was fully reopened just before 11 a.m. No evacuations were necessary.
Link: "Gas Main Break Closes Route 1 "
WCVB TV 5
UF Accident #5484
Saugus, MA 05/06/2008
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Gas
Fire and Rescue were on the scene of a 2" gas line break. Reports indicated that construction company struck the line earlier in the afternoon. Two homes were evacuated.
Link: "Homes evacuated due to a gas line break"
Tampa Bay
UF Accident #5485
East Manatee County, FL 05/06/2008
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Gas
Rush hour traffic on U.S. 19 snarled in both directions north of Jasmine Boulevard for about 70 minutes while emergency crews worked to plug a natural gas leak coming from the Congo River miniature golf course construction site. The highway was blocked north of Gulfview Square mall from about 4:40 p.m. until just before 6. Traffic backed up as motorists squeezed through detours laid out on narrower side streets. Guests at the adjacent Holiday Inn Express were evacuated for a shorter period of time while emergency workers waited for a Tampa Electric Co. crew to shut down the gas line. The leak was first reported at 4:24 p.m., according to Pasco County Fire Rescue officials. Traffic on U.S. 19 was halted in both directions between Jasmine Boulevard to the south and Coventry Drive to the north. The leak occurred when a bulldozer doing the final grading on a strip of land between the golf course and the Holiday Inn struck an unmarked underground gas pipeline, said a spokensman for th developer. According to him, a construction supervisor called to have all the utilities marked., but that gas line was unmarked.
Link: "U.S. 19 Open After Gas Leak Is Fixed"
Tampa Bay Online
UF Accident #5486
Port Richey, FL 05/06/2008
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Gas
Traffic was rerouted around four blocks of downtown for an hour and 10 minutes after a city public works department backhoe hit a natural gas line in an alley between Florida and Hendry Avenues. At least three businesses were evacuated while Central Florida Gas workers repaired the leak. Businesses farther from the leak were notified of the break, but were not evacuated.
The accident occurred at 2:40 p.m., and repairs were completed at 3:50. The police, fire, and public works departments blocked off traffic on Main Street and Summerlin Street between Jackson and Wilson Avenues. Gas rushed from the broken line with a loud “whoosh” for the better part of an hour. The gas company repair crew initially plugged the broken gas line with a half-inch wooden plug, then put a permanent cap on the line. The city crew was using a backhoe to prepare for installation of a new PVC water line to several offices in the 400 block of East Main Street. Water service to those businesses feeds from the alley behind them. Replacing the old cast iron pipe will raise water pressure, cityworkers said.
Link: "Downtown Gas Line Break Empties Businesses"
The Polk County Democrat
UF Accident #5487
Polk County, FL 05/06/2008
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Comm
Roughly 1,700 Telus customers were without telephone service after a construction crew working in Mayerthorpe accidently severed a Telus fibre optic cable while excavating to repair a waterline.
Long distance and 911 services were affected. Emergency workers in the town were notified about the phone disruption. By 3:15 p.m. that day, Telus had repaired the cables and service was fully restored.
Link: "Phone service disrupted"
Whitecourt Star
UF Accident #5491
Mayerthorpe, Alberta 05/06/2008
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Gas
A construction worker dover from the vehicle as it engulfed in flames after striking a gas line. The worker was working as a level hand behind the 30 tonne bitumen stripper when its rotary blade hit an underground gas pipe in Belgrave Street, Cremorne shortly before 9 p.m. Flames engulfed the vehicle within seconds singing the worker's beard as he fled. The massive blaze sent a balloon of gas, hazardous diesel and hydraulic fumes into the air above nearby residences. Twenty people from surrounding units were evacuated. As the blaze continued to burn a 1500 litre gas tank attached to the stripper also ruptured sending bursts of flames into the air. Fire fighters doused the tanker with water, hoping to cool the area before gas flow could be stemmed to the area. Agility Gas were called to excavate the road in order to clamp underground nylon gas pipes feeding flammable gas to the area. A crane was required to remove the damaged excavator from the scene. Nine fire vehicles from Neutral Bay, Mosman, Crows Nest and The Rocks were called to the scene. HAZMAT teams also attended.
Link: "Road worker Billy Agillus escapes as machine explodes"
The Daily Telegraph
UF Accident #5472
Sydney, New South Wales 05/05/2008
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Gas
A gas leak at the Annapolis Towne Centre at Parole forced the evacuation about 600 people and prompted officials to close down several surrounding roads. At 9:17 a.m. county firefighters received a call that a gas line - 3 to 4 inches in diameter - was struck during construction work at 1910 Annapolis Towne Centre Drive. The gas line was nicked while crews were chopping-up the cement pad that had been used to stabilize the crane involved in a fatal accident prior week. The workers had the gas line shut off by 11 a.m., though officials were still searching the building under construction for potential gas trapped in some of the enclosed floors. Emergency crews evacuated the entire site as well as nearby areas.
Link: "Gas line accident prompts evacuation"
Annapolis Capital
UF Accident #5473
Annapolis, MD 05/05/2008
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Gas
A ruptured gas line at the CVS construction site on Highway 96 caused police and fire crews to shut down traffic between Fortress Boulevard and Blaze Drive for less than 30 minutes. A construction worker was digging a ditch with a backhoe when he struck a 1.5-inch pipeline, owned by Atmos Energy. Atmos workers closed off the ruptured pipe just before 10:45 a.m. The stretch of road was shut down for precautionary reasons. The stretch of Highway 96 between Fortress Boulevard and Blaze Drive was closed between 10:30 and 10:50 a.m.
Link: "Traffic resumes on Fortress following gas line rupture"
The Daily News Journal
UF Accident #5474
Murfreesboro, TN 05/05/2008
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Gas
Residents who live near Twin Oaks Avenue and Oxford Street in Chula Vista were told to stay in their homes and keep their windows closed while repairs are made to a broken natural gas line, a fire dispatcher said. A SDG&E spokeswoman said a crew from the Chula Vista wastewater department using a backhoe struck the line shortly before 10:30 a.m.
Link: "Gas leak in Chula Vista"
SignOnSanDiego.com
UF Accident #5476
Chula Vista, CA 05/05/2008
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Gas
The occupants of two University of Dubuque buildings -- including students taking final exams -- had to be evacuated after a tree removal crew severed a natural gas line. No one was reported injured in the incident. A university official said the incident occurred when a tree company hired by the university began digging up a tree that had been misidentified for removal. City fire and police personnel were called to the scene some traffic had to be diverted until the leak was under control.
Link: "University of Dubuque campus evacuated after gas leak"
Chicago Tribune
UF Accident #5478
Dubuque, IA 05/05/2008
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Gas
Construction workers digging on the parking lot behind 220 Adams Street broke open a gas pipe at about 8:30 a.m., a city official said, resulting in a temporary leak but no evacuation of the building. The workers were trying to even the pavement when they hit the pipe. The Hoboken Fire Department and PSE&G were called in, the gas turned off, and the pipe fixed, all within 15 minutes.
The hole was less than an inch in diameter.
Link: "Gas leak at 220 Adams"
Hoboken Now
UF Accident #5479
Hoboken, NJ 05/05/2008
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Gas
A construction crew struck a natural gas line in Camanche forcing the evacuation of eight homes and a nearby church. Emergency crews were called to 1431 S. Washington Blvd. about 3:20 p.m. after a crew installing a sewer line to a home hit a 2-inch gas main. Eight nearby homes and Immanuel Lutheran Church were evacuated as a precaution. No injuries were reported, and a crew from Alliant Energy repaired the leak within an hour and a half, Schutte said. One customer lost natural gas service.
Link: "Gas main break causes evacuation in Camanche"
Quad-City Times
UF Accident #5482
Camanche, IA 05/05/2008
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Power
A seven-year-old boy was electrocuted in New Zealand after touching a metal stake in ground where electricity cables had been laid. Police said early indications were that the boy was swinging on the stake, which had come into contact with a power cable buried under the newly sown lawn outside the house he was staying at in Napier. The stake was a waratah stake, the three sided metal fencing stakes commonly used by farmers and others. The tragedy is being investigated by power company Unison. The early indications were that the cable was at the correct depth and had a protective cover.
Link: "Boy electrocuted by underground cables"
The Age
UF Accident #5467
New Zealand 05/02/2008
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Gas
A construction crew working at the intersection of 2nd Avenue South and 37th Street accidentally broke a gas line. Billings Fire Department responded to the scene, secured the area along with the construction crews and waited until Montana Dakota utilities officials show shut off the line for future repairs. Traffic and construction went back to normal shortly there after.
Link: "Construction crews break gas line in Billings"
MontanasNewsStation.com
UF Accident #5465
Billings, MT 05/01/2008
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Gas
About 20 businesses on Kelley Boulevard were evacuated after an excavating crew apparently disturbed a buried gas line behind a pizza shop. Fire officials said the leak in a two-inch gas line occurred shortly after 1 p.m. and that the excavating contractor immediately called 911. No injuries were reported, although witnesses said gas could be seen spewing out of the pipe and a strong smell of gas permeated the area. Fire officials said the presence of the gas line was "clearly marked." Two busy commercial plazas in the area containing a golf driving range, donut shops and pizza stores were evacuated for about an hour. Fire departments from three communities responded to the gas leak.
Link: "North gas leak forces two-hour evacuation"
The Sun Chronicle
UF Accident #5466
North Attleboro, MA 05/01/2008
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Gas
A gas leak in Gulfport closed the road leading to the Harrison County Jail after a contractor cut a gas line while digging on Larkin Smith Drive. Center Point Energy crews were busy making repairs, and the road reopened shortly afterward. No evacuations were needed. The construction work that cut the gas line is part of an improvement project in the Harrison County Industrial Park.
Link: "No Evacuations Needed For Gulfport Gas Leak"
WLOX-TV
UF Accident #5462
Gulfport, MS 04/30/2008
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Gas
A gas leak shut down four buildings and a portion of South Church Street on the West Chester University campus at approximately 9 a.m. after workers punctured a gas line while digging a hole to install a new building sign between Ehringer and the Schmucker Science Center. The facilities department contacted WCU Public Safety as well as PECO after realizing that gas was exiting the line outside of the buildings. The building closings and evacuations were a precautionary measure. A crew from PECO arrived and shut the gas line down and made the necessary repairs and the buildings were reopened two hours later. According to University officials, the appropriate underground markings at the dig site were not present.
Link: "Gas leak halts classes"
The Quad
UF Accident #5458
West Chester, PA 04/29/2008
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Gas
A broken gas line that fed into a 12-inch gas main was capped after a construction crew broke it in the morning. The crew hit a 6-inch line that fed into the gas main, forcing gas to escape into the air near the corner of Sheldon and Logan. Roads were shut down in that area as multiple crew work to fix the problem. A construction crew hit an underground line around 7:30 a.m. The area affected was not predominantly a residential area. However, multiple crews monitored the gas levels in the area, and checked to ensure the homes and buildings did not have any gas settling in their basements.
Link: "Broken gas line capped near downtown GR"
WOOD TV
UF Accident #5463
Grand Rapids, MI 04/29/2008
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Gas
Police shut down Clayton Road after a construction crew working on the Highway 40 project busted a gas line. Missouri Department of Transportation officials said that the Ladue Police Department shut down the road after the gas had leaked out of the line. Workers realized that a gas line was breached about 3:45 p.m. The workers had been excavating around a drill shaft near the Clayton and Warson roads intersection.
Link: "Clayton Road reopens after gas line break"
St. Louis Today
UF Accident #5464
LaDue, MO 04/29/2008
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Gas
Emergency crews shut down streets in the area of Sheldon Avenue and Logan Street SE after a construction crew hit a 6-inch gas line . Officials with DTE Energy monitored natural gas levels in the area and are working to repair the line. An excavating company hit the line about 7:30 a.m. and natural gas began spewing into the air. A spokesman for DTE said fixing the gas leak is complicated because the line is fed from two different directions. The 6-inch line transitions into a 12-inch line. DTE crews managed to shut off gas flowing into the 6-inch line. Emergency crews evacuated a nearby construction site, but there have been no other evacuations.
Link: "Natural gas leak forces shutdown of streets near downtown Grand Rapids"
mlive.com
UF Accident #5461
Grand Rapids, MI 04/29/2008
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Water
About 100 residents in south Austin were without water because of a water main break. It happened around 8:30 a.m. near S. 7th Street and Joanna Avenue, near Oltorf and Lamar. Water utility officials said a crew from the Austin Clean Water Program was working on a sewer project when they ruptured a 24-inch water main. Residents in the area were asked to drink bottled water or boil their water before drinking.
Link: "Water main break in south Austin leaves residents without water"
KVUE.com
UF Accident #5457
Austin, TX 04/28/2008
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Gas
A gas leak forced the evacuation of five businesses near downtown Granville. A 1-inch Columbia Gas line was ruptured by a crew cutting pavement to prepare for the installation of a water line, prompting the evacuation. Columbia Gas was notified at about 1 p.m. and had a representative there by about 1:25 p.m., but a repair crew came later. A gas line leading to one customer was ruptured, but service to other businesses was not interrupted. The line was repaired and buildings cleared for re-occupation at about 2:30 p.m. after the Granville Township Fire Department determined there was no appreciable amount of gas in any of the buildings, according to the fire chief. During repairs, Elm and Main streets were closed to traffic one block in each direction from the gas leak.
Link: "Gas leak closes roads, forces evacuations"
Newark Advocate
UF Accident #5459
Granville, OH 04/28/2008
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Gas
A gas leak forced several families from their homes. The leak happened on West Street around 11:00 a.m. when a construction crew digging in the yard hit a gas line. Immediately, surrounding homes were evacuated and crews worked to shut off the gas. No one was injured.
Link: "Gas Leak Forces Evacuations"
WCAX
UF Accident #5450
Winooski, VT 04/25/2008
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Gas
A gas line break shut down parts of Jackson Street off Highway 51. The Ridgeland Fire Chief said the six-inch line was the main line for the city. The leak happened when a construction worker hit the line while working on a bike trail. Passers-by heard the overwhelming sound of the gas leak. No one was injured or evacuated.
Link: "Street Reopened after Gas-Line Break"
WLBT 3
UF Accident #5455
Ridgeland, MS 04/25/2008
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Gas
Emergency crews responded to a gas leak reported near Indiana 43, north of Interstate 65. According to the Tippecanoe County Sheriff's Department, the leak was reported around 11:30 a.m. A construction crew reportedly struck a gas line. Though no evacuations had been ordered and Indiana 43 had not been shut down, police asked motorists to avoid the area if possible.
Link: "Gas leak reported near Indiana 43"
Journal and Courier
UF Accident #5449
Lafayette, IN 04/24/2008
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Gas
At around 7:45 a.m., an excavator struck a 2-inch-high pressure line halting traffic on Stadium and University and the area close to Neil Armstrong Hall at Purdue University. The excavator was digging for an arch project, and he struck the high pressure line with a hoe. There were no injuries. Traffic resumed at around 8:55 a.m.
Link: "Gas line break halts campus traffic "
The Exponent Online
UF Accident #5451
Lafayette, IN 04/24/2008
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Gas
A natural gas leak caused when a PG&E backhoe operator nicked a 2-inch gas main interrupted gas service to about 20 customers. The leak occurred around 11:44 a.m. and blasted natural gas for about two hours before the main was crimped shut about 1:40 p.m., authorities said. Crews were in the area repairing a tiny leak in the line on Parker Hill Road near Castlerock Court when the backhoe tore a small gash in the pipeline, said a PG&E spokeswoman. Though gas to individual homes was shut down, gas continued to escape from the line as workers dug down toward the pipe at two locations away from the leak, where they squeezed the pipe shut. Firefighters remained on standby, and police shut down much of Parker Hill Road while the gas was leaking, creating a loud roar as it escaped the pressurized pipe and rustled tree limbs above.
Link: "PG&E ruptures gas line in SR"
Santa Rosa Press Democrat
UF Accident #5452
Santa Rosa, CA 04/24/2008
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Water
Wake Forest Road was closed following a broken water main. A construction crew hit a water main under the road between Six Forks Road and the Interstate 440 Beltline. The crew, which is working for the state Department of Transportation on a road-widening project, was unsuccessful in trying to repair the damaged main, so the city's Public Utilities Department assumed control of the repair effort the following day. Six municipal water customers were without service. The prior week, a construction crew ruptured a gas main in the same area, closing all northbound and southbound lanes for several hours.
Link: "Wake Forest Road Reopened After Broken Water Main"
WRAL.com
UF Accident #5453
Raleigh, NC 04/24/2008
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Gas
Dozens of residents were forced to evacuate their homes because of a gas leak. Scott Police said a four inch gas pipeline broke while a construction crew was digging a retention pond at an assisted living home. While a crew worked to plug the line all the homes on Anne, Marie and Winborn Streets were evacuated. By the evening everyone was eventually allowed to return home. Officials said the evacuations were just a precautionary measure.
Link: "Scott Residents Evacuated While Crews Repair Gas Leak"
WLFY.com
UF Accident #5454
Scott, LA 04/24/2008
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Gas
A natural gas line that supplies the town of St. Paul was accidentally cut around 7:30 p.m. in the county right of way on County Road 650 South, by an individual was working to repair field tiles. The incident caused an outage to the entire town. According to a spokesperson for Fountaintown Gas Co., the line was repaired by 6:38 p.m. the next day, and work began immediately to restore service to individual customers. Officials said that no one had called to check on the location of buried utilities.
Link: "Ruptured St. Paul gas line repaired"
The Shelbyviille News
UF Accident #5456
St. Paul, IN 04/24/2008
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Gas
A crew working outside the GrandStay Residential Suites Hotel struck a gas line Wednesday causing at least one area employer to evacuate its building and shutting down gas service for a few hours to neighboring homes. The leak occurred just before 4 p.m. at Seventh Street and Niagara Avenue, when a contractor's crew digging holes for hotel construction hit a 2-inch gas line. Firefighters arrived and evacuated construction workers from the scene, and an area to the north of the leak was monitored for safety reasons because of the gas. Heavy natural gas odors were reported in a wide area north and west of where the leak occurred. A crew from Wisconsin Public Service was called about 4:30 p.m. to repair the line, and gas was cut off to the surrounding area for about three hours before being restored. About 50 people working at the nearby Nemschoff furniture headquarters were voluntarily evacuated by company officials.
Link: "Work crew strikes gas line "
Sheboygan Press
UF Accident #5448
Sheboygan, WI 04/23/2008
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Water
A contractor adding new service lines to connect some older buildings to the new water main accidentally punctured the main right in front of a plumbing and heating company around 9:30 a.m., sending "a couple thousand gallons per minute" onto the street. The water flow was stopped within 10 to 12 minutes. The instant flood sent a stream of water down 8th Street, where it split north and south on Washington Avenue, pooling in some of the lower lying areas.
Link: "Break in water main creates small flood in Ketchum "
Idaho Mountain Express
UF Accident #5445
Ketchum, ID 04/23/2008
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Gas
A block of Trinity Street in front of the Newton Municipal Building was closed for two hours after a contractor hit a gas line in front of the building, according to an Elizabethtown Gas spokeswoman. A contractor was working on underground utilities putting in a water line to be used as a reinforcement for fires when he came upon the gas line and detected an odor coming from the area. Gas company employees arrived on the scene around 9:30 to find that a service line had been damaged by the contractor. They shut off the gas and the leak was repaired by 11:30 a.m. No one was evacuated from the area.
Link: "Gas leak closes Newton street"
New Jersey Herald
UF Accident #5441
Newton, NJ 04/22/2008
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Gas
Work crews ruptured a 4-inch natural gas main line forcing the evacuation of 150 employees from nearby buildings. A construction crew was excavating on the west side of the building when the break occurred. Fire officials said where the crew was digging was not where the break occurred. They were digging in one area, and hit a footing from an old building. It shook it and it broke the line. Fire officials estimated the break in the gas line was 20 to 25 feet away at an angle from where the actual digging was taking place. He said the gas service line was approximately 5 feet deep. The break was detected around 11:30 a.m. and squeezed off by 12:30 p.m. No customers were impacted by the break. The contractor was doing private sewer work in the area when the 4-inch main ruptured. Employees were allowed back into the building around 12:30 p.m.
Link: "Gas line rupture forces Musco, MCG employees to evacuate"
The Oskaloosa Herald
UF Accident #5444
Oskaloosa, IA 04/22/2008
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Gas
Several Quincy city blocks were closed because of a gas leak. City crews were digging in the fifth and Chestnut area to fix a water line when they hit a gas line.
Link: "Quincy gas leak"
KHQA
UF Accident #5442
Quincy, IL 04/22/2008
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Gas
Huntsville police closed Martin Road at the intersections of Zierdt Road and Old Joe Williams Road near Chadwick Place Apartments around 4:30 p.m. because of a ruptured gas line. Residents of the apartments were evacuated for about an hour.
The leak was in a 6-inch gas line near the apartment complex. A construction company apparently broke the line around 4:10 p.m. No one has been injured.
Link: "Evacuated residents return to apartments on Martin Road"
The Huntsville Times
UF Accident #5443
Huntsville, AL 04/22/2008
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Gas
Six shops were evacuated and a road closed following after a gas main was damaged by contractors. United Utilities said there was no immediate danger to the public. Six shops on Mitchell Avenue, including a post office, bank and hairdressers, had been evacuated as a precautionary measure. Police and fire crews attended the scene and helped cordon off the area.
Link: "Shops evacuated after Thornaby gas leak"
gazettelive.co.uk
UF Accident #5440
Thornaby, England 04/22/2008
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Gas
Harlem Avenue was closed in both directions between 16th Street and 19th Street, as crews worke to repair a natural gas main break that happened around 11 a.m. North Riverside Police Chief said that crews working in front of a shopping plaza when they struck an unmarked gas line, causing Harlem Avenue to be closed between 16th Street and Cermak Road for more than two hours. The shutoff valve for the gas line is under the southbound lanes of Harlem Avenue, which is why that portion of the street needs to be dug up.
Link: "Gas line break shuts Harlem Avenue"
Riverside Brookmark Landmark
UF Accident #5437
Oak Park, IL 04/21/2008
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Gas
Construction workers hit a main gas line causing it to catch fire, El Paso Fire Department officials said. Just after 11 a.m., firefighters were called out to a construction site at the intersection of Tierra Venado and Tierra Dorada, where it was reported construction workers ruptured a 4-inch main gas line pipe, officials said. Natural gas coming out of the pipe then caught fire. It took firefighters and Texas Gas Service about an hour and a half to put out the fire, by cutting off gas supplying the pipe. No one was hurt in the incident, and only one resident from a neighborhood across the street was evacuated.
Link: "Gas main bursts into flames"
El Paso Times
UF Accident #5438
El Paso, TX 04/21/2008
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Gas
At about 12:30 p.m., a homeowner doing some digging on the edge of his driveway hit a 1” plastic pipe with his shovel. The shovel cracked the pipe. The homeowner immediately covered the leak with his hand and shouted to his wife to call 911. Watertown firefighters were on scene a few minutes later.
Link: "Watertown homeowner stops gas leak with hand"
WWTI Newswatch 50
UF Accident #5436
Watertown, NY 04/20/2008
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Gas
Greenville police temporarily redirected traffic along Farmville Boulevard after a contractor cut a gas line near a church. The incident happened around 5 p.m. Between five to 10 people were evacuated from the church's child care center. Traffic was redirected for about 15 minutes while a Greenville Utilities employee made his way to the scene and shut down the gas flow. The GUC employee was able to repair the pipe and the adults and children were returned to the church by 5:30 p.m.
Link: "Gas leak forces traffic change"
The Daily Reflector
UF Accident #5435
Greenville, NC 04/19/2008
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Gas
A gas leak sparked a fire just after 1:00 am behind a condominium complex off Bass Chapel Road. A Time Warner Cable employee accidentally ruptured the line while making repairs to an underground cable. Fire crews evacuated 14 people living nearby. They were relocated to a fire department near their building for a couple of hours. Fire crews estimate flames shot up between 25 and 30 feet. Crews let the fire burn until the gas line could be turned off. Along with the fire department, Piedmont Natural Gas also responded to the scene. Residents returned to their homes before 4:00 am Friday. No one was injured. The worker who punctured the line suffered a singed eyebrow, but was not seriously hurt.
Link: "Greensboro Gas Leak Causes Early Morning Evacuation"
digtriad.com
UF Accident #5430
Greensboro, NC 04/18/2008
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Gas
Workers mistook a natural gas line for a water main and drilled into it causing a leak shortly after 9 a.m. near a stretch of homes and shops on Lake Street near the White Plains border. The Harrison Police Department and town firefighters responded to the emergency, along with a utility crew from Consolidated Edison and ambulances. There were no immediate reports of injuries, police said. No evacuation was needed. Natural gas service was not disrupted in the neighborhood.
Link: "Workers mistake gas line for water pipe; cause natural gas leak in West Harrison"
LoHud.com
UF Accident #5431
West Harrison, NY 04/18/2008
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Gas
A construction worker drove a pole into the road in the area of Route 10 and Jinny Hill Road puncturing a natural gas line. Route 10 was shut down between Route 42 and King Road. There are no injuries. The Department of Transportation and Connecticut Natural Gas officials were at the scene.
Link: "Gas Line Puncture Closes Roads In Cheshire"
NBC 30.com
UF Accident #5432
Cheshire, CT 04/18/2008
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Power
About 2,100 customers of Public Service Company of New Mexico on the city’s West Side and in Rio Rancho were without electricity. The power went out at about 7:30 a.m., but was restored by 9:00 a.m. PNM officials said the outage occurred when a construction crew struck and broke an underground cable.
Link: "Power outage strikes West Side "
KOB.com
UF Accident #5426
Albuquerque, NM 04/17/2008
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Gas
A ruptured natural gas line led to the evacuation of an upscale Vancouver neighborhood, including a private school. The leak was caused by a construction crew working in the area and was quickly stopped. Nobody was hurt and operations in the area had returned to normal by 9:30 a.m.
Link: "Broken gas main forces evacuation of Vancouver private school"
CBC.ca
UF Accident #5427
Vancouver, British Columbia 04/17/2008
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Water
Officials with Tucson Water said a 4 to 6 inch water main broke when a landscaper moving a palm tree with a crane broke a line. The water was shut off to some homes in that area.
Link: " "Water Main Break On Tucson""
KOLD 13
UF Accident #5439
Tucson, AZ 04/17/2008
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Gas
About 50 people who live or work near College Street and Lawrence Avenue were evacuated after a 2-inch gas line was damaged. The incident occurred about 1:45 p.m. when a boring machine cut through the underground gas line. The strong odor of mercaptan, the chemical added to natural gas to make a leak detectable, could be smelled throughout the area. Police blocked traffic around the work area, and emergency crews from Ameren and the Springfield Fire Department responded.
Link: "Gas leak turns out to be minor concern"
The State Journal-Register
UF Accident #5429
Springfield, IL 04/17/2008
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Water
A private contractor that brought in big equipment to try and find a sewer pipe strong enough to sustain a repair accidentally ripped out two water service lines. Water was spurting from the hole with such force that it could be seen above street level by motorists on Logan Street.
By the afternoon, the water had been shut off to the service lines. City officials estimated that about 20 feet of three-quarter inch copper line would have to be replaced between the water main and two nearby buildings before service to the buildings could be restored.
Link: "Severed water lines halt sewer repair"
Lincoln Courier
UF Accident #5433
Lincoln, IL 04/17/2008
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Power
A construction crew hit an electrical line under the sidewalk causing a small explosion that injured two workers, authorities said. The unidentified workers were taken to St. Francis Memorial Hospital in San Francisco, where they were treated for burns that are not considered to be life-threatening. The explosion caused a small fire that was out by the time firefighters arrived. Fire officials will hand over the investigation to Cal-OSHA.
Link: "Two construction workers hurt in small explosion in downtown Oakland"
San Francisco Chronicle
UF Accident #5408
Oakland, CA 04/16/2008
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Gas
Wake Forest Road was closed following a natural gas leak. The road was blocked off between the Beltline and Six Forks Road while crews repaired a gas leak on a 2-inch service line. Four area businesses were evacuated and closed. According to PSNC Energy, the leak was caused by construction work in the area. The call came in at about 10:40 a.m.
Link: "Wake Forest Road Reopens After Gas Leak"
NBC17.com
UF Accident #5420
Raleigh, NC 04/16/2008
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Gas
People in the town of Watertown were left without gas service for a couple days after a contractor hit an eight inch gas main on Route 11. The immediate area was evacuated, and Route 11 was shut down. About 800 National Grid customers were without service.
Link: "Gas line rupture in Watertown capped"
News 10 Now
UF Accident #5421
Watertown, NY 04/16/2008
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Power
Two construction workers, digging below street level in front of Kaiser-Permanente were burned when they struck a live electric line, the Oakland Fire Department said. They were both taken to the burn center at St. Francis Hospital in San Francisco with non-life-threatening burns on their thighs. A PG&E spokesman said the two contractors were using a reciprocating saw when they cut through the insulated cover of a 16,000-volt electric power line. There was a flash-up and they were burned.
Link: "Workers burned by live power line in downtown Oakland"
Mercury News
UF Accident #5422
Oakland, CA 04/16/2008
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Comm
Construction crews accidentally cut a fiber optic cable causing a disruption in some cable and phone services. Service was also interrupted for Nex-Tech customers who lost long distance service. The cable was cut about 3 p.m., but services were restored by about 8 p.m. The fiber optic cable was cut by a contractor. The cable belonged to Cox Communications, and a crew repaired the cable.
Link: "Cut cable leads to outages "
The Hays Daily News
UF Accident #5434
Hays, KS 04/16/2008
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Sewer
A ruptured sewer main that caused more than 10,000 gallons of untreated sewage to overflow into a drain near the Carroll-Howard border was repaired, but Department of Health officials kept Patapsco River closed to fishing and other recreational uses. A contractor with a backhoe struck a sewer main at 10:15 a.m. rupturing the pipe and sending between 10,000 to 15,000 gallons of untreated sewage into a drain that leads to the Patapsco River. County crews repaired the broken pipe and diluted the sewage with water as it entered the drain, county officials said. The Patapsco River will remain closed until the Department of Health declares the levels of contaminants to be within a safe range. The rupture occurred along Sandusky Road near College Avenue, where pipes were being installed to connect water mains in the area.
Link: "Sewage leak closes Patapsco to fishing, recreation"
Baltimore Sun
UF Accident #5403
Sykesville, MA 04/15/2008
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Comm
Several areas in the eastern Texas Panhandle were without phone service for about three hours. A Texas Department of Transportation contractor was digging a box culvert near a new overpass at Farm-to-Market Road 2381 and U.S. Highway 60 and cut a telephone line. The telephone company was able to route service to another line further south of U.S. 60.
Link: "Phone outage hits area"
Amarillo.com
UF Accident #5407
TX 04/15/2008
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Gas
Authorities were dispatched to the scene of a natural gas leak in the 3200 block of North San Fernando Road at 10:20 a.m. The leak was caused by construction equipment in the area, according to a Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson.
Local businesses were evacuated.
Link: "Gas Leak Forces Evacuations in So. Cal Neighborhood"
KTLA.com
UF Accident #5406
Glassell Park, CA 04/15/2008
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Gas
A ruptured natural gas line forced the evacuation of two day cares and about 50 residents. A construction crew inadvertently punctured a four-inch gas pipe. Davenport firefighters were on the scene shortly after 10 a.m., equipped with handheld gas meters. They quickly cordoned off a two-block section of the neighborhood and began asking nearby residents to evacuate. Typically, firefighters would evacuate people within 350 yards of this type of leak, which involved a four-inch diameter pipe with a pressure of about 40 to 50 pounds per square inch. However, firefighters were concerned that strong winds mixed with concentrated gas could result in ignition danger downwind from the leak. MidAmerican Energy Co. officials were able to stop the leak a little before 11 a.m. A construction crew doing a curb replacement at the intersection ruptured the gas line. A company safety officer said the pipe was shallower than expected. The project manager had placed an Iowa One Call to mark the area for gas and water lines, but the corner was not marked, according to company officials. A spokesman for MidAmerican, said the company’s records and documentation from the contractors show that a call was made to Iowa One Call for the project in late March. MidAmerican is now investigating whether the request was made for the specific area where the gas line was damaged and, if it was, whether the markings were made.
Link: "Mid-morning gas leak forces neighborhood evacuation"
Quad-City Times
UF Accident #5405
Davenport, IA 04/15/2008
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Gas
Nearly 10 people were evacuated from homes and traffic was detoured for about 30 minutes because of a natural gas leak. The Watertown Fire Department responded to the gas leak at 2:11 p.m. During the leak nine people were evacuated from their homes, said fire officials. They were able to return to the homes about 30 minutes later. Police also shut off a section of North Church Street for about 30 minutes.
Link: "Gas leak ends in evacuation "
Watertown Daily Times
UF Accident #5419
Watertown, WI 04/15/2008
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Gas
A ruptured natural gas line forced the evacuation of Centralia City Hall and an apartment complex after a construction crew broke the line in the alley behind the eight-story building. The contractors were working on a project for the city, moving overhead power lines underground, according to fire officials. A small excavator digging in the alley was lifting a piece of concrete which dropped and broke the line. Officials added that the line was surprisingly shallow. The fire department was called directly by a city employee at 1:15 p.m. who saw the construction workers running away from their equipment and suspected what had just occurred.
Link: "Broken Gas Line Forces Evacuation "
The Chronicle Online
UF Accident #5423
Centralia, WA 04/15/2008
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Comm
Ferry County was thrown into a communications blackout when a work crew installing guard rail west of Wauconda Summit on Highway 20 broke a fiber optics line, officials said. The incident, which affected Internet, cell phone service and long-distance telephone capabilities, happened at 2:02 p.m. Long-distance and cell service were restored by 5 a.m. the following day. The work crew reportedly was putting in posts to replace guard rail that had been knocked out when a pickup truck went off the road when one of those posts broke the fiber optic line. Area businesses could not process credit cards, which require long distance communications, nor do anything else that required communication outside the immediate area.
Link: "Broken fiber optics line disrupts telecommunications, including 911 service, in Ferry County "
Omak Okanogan County Chronicle
UF Accident #5425
Ferry County, WA 04/15/2008
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Power
A contractor drilling on a street accidentally knocked out power to 12 commercial buildings forcing some businesses to release workers for the afternoon. Nstar said it received a complaint about 1:45 p.m. about a power outage, apparently caused by a contractor drilling along Third Street near Kendall Square T station. Some of the businesses and office buildings affected included Cambridgeport Hotel, Cambridge Side Galleria and One Memorial Drive.
Link: "Power outage shuts Kendall Square businesses"
Boston Herald
UF Accident #5402
East Cambridge, MA 04/14/2008
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Water
A contractor working at the Peninsula at Bayonne Harbor punctured a 12-inch water main causing water pressure to drop in various locations of the city, mostly south of 33rd Street. The pressure fluctuation resulted in slightly discolored" water in homes and businesses because of the break, which was reported at 7:45 a.m. The damaged section of the main was isolated at 8:15 a.m. and pressure normalized soon after that. The accident happened as construction workers were excavating an area along Stanley Boulevard, the main east/west road that runs the length of the Peninsula. Digging equipment struck a water main "stub" - a piece of pipe awaiting connection - triggering a water gusher.
Link: "Main break colors water in Bayonne "
The Jersey Journal
UF Accident #5401
Bayonne, NJ 04/12/2008
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Water
Queen Creek Middle School was shut down after a water main broke. The break happened at about 5:30 a.m. as a contractor was laying a four-foot pipe under an eight-inch city water pipe. The rupture affected several hundred homes, the middle school and a daycare facility. Homes in the area did not lost water completely, but had decreased water pressure.
Link: "Water main break closes Queen Creek Middle School"
KNXV-TV
UF Accident #5398
Phoenix, AZ 04/10/2008
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Gas
Lambton Quay was closed to traffic after a contractor fractured a gas line while working at the bottom of Woodward Street, near Lambton Quay.
Some shops in the immediate vicinity were also closed.
Link: "Gas leak disrupts central Wellington"
Radio New Zealand News
UF Accident #5394
Wellington, New Zealand 04/10/2008
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Gas
A gas leak at a Wilmington business forced people to evacuate the area. A crew was digging to build a fence when someone cut the line. The gas leak forced employees to leave the business. There were no customers because the restaurant isn't officially open yet. A Piedmont Natural Gas crew was able to fix the leak.
Link: "Wilmington Gas Leak"
WECT TV6
UF Accident #5400
Wilmington, NC 04/10/2008
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Gas
Sarasota County Fire Department was on scene of a 4-inch gas line break located at 190 Cattleman Road. It was reported that a drilling company was working and drilled into the gas line causing a leak. This incident was in a new strip type mall complex at the intersection of Cattleman Road and University Parkway.
Link: "Gas leak on Cattleman Road in Sarasota"
WWSB ABC 7 Florida
UF Accident #5392
Sarasota, FL 04/09/2008
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Gas
UPDATE A gas worker who was hurt when an explosion destroyed a Norfolk pub has been awarded £230,000 in compensation. The man was working for gas company Transco when he was called to investigate a gas leak near the London Tavern in Coltishall in May 2003. While he was investigating the leak there was a huge explosion, which destroyed the pub and threw him off his feet, landing several meters away. He suffered injuries to his neck and post traumatic stress order and has not been able to return to that work since the blast.
He was awarded the six figure compensation payout against a company which cut through a gas pipe while laying cable in Coltishall.
Link: "Man hurt in pub explosion gets £230,000"
Norwich Evening News
UF Accident #5393
Coltishall, England 04/09/2008
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Gas
A natural gas line break caused a traffic jam in the Fort Lowell-Alvernon. The intersection was shut down in all directions for several hours because of it. According to fire officials, a boring machine hit a Southwest Gas line as it was going under the road.
Southwest Gas had the leak contained quickly, but repairing the line took more time.
Link: "Construction Crew Hits Gas Line, Jams Traffic"
KOLD News
UF Accident #5395
Fort Lowell - Alvernon, AZ 04/09/2008
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Gas
Valley Center Road was closed to traffic in both directions at 7:45 a.m. due to a gas line break. The road was closed for about a two-mile stretch between Lilac Road and Woods Valley Road, McClain said. The gas line break was caused by a construction crew that accidentally broke a six-inch main while digging on Valley Center Road between Olde Road and Calle de Vista, Laing said. There were no reported injuries and no outages due to the break.
Link: "Gas line break has closed Valley Center Road"
North County Times
UF Accident #5390
Valley Center, CA 04/08/2008
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Gas
A contractor hit an underground gas pipe line in the 1700 block of N. Placentia Boulevard, near Yorba Linda Boulevard today, authorities said.
The incident was reported at 10:48 a.m. and firefighters from Fullerton and the Orange County Fire Authority were on scene, along with the Gas Co. Placentia Avenue was closed until 12:20 p.m. from Madison Avenue to Yorba Linda Boulevard.
Link: "Gas leak closes Fullerton street"
OC Register
UF Accident #5389
Fullerton, CA 04/08/2008
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Gas
A broken gas line caused a road closure and evacuations in West Mifflin. A water company working in the area apparently struck a four-inch line shortly after 4 p.m. in the 4900-block of Buttermilk Hollow Road. Six homes in the area were evacuated. Buttermilk Hollow Road was closed in both directions between Lebanon Church Road and Pittsburgh-McKeesport Boulevard.
Link: "Gas Service Shut Off To Broken West Mifflin Line"
KDKA 2
UF Accident #5388
West Mifflin, PA 04/08/2008
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Gas
Sandy Plains Road was closed after a contractor ruptured a high-pressure natural gas transmission line. The ruptured line forced the evacuation of several buildings, businesses and a daycare center. Work crews repaired the line overnight. A company doing work in the area bored into a 6-inch, high-pressure transmission line about 10:05 a.m., said a spokesman for Atlanta Gas Light, the area's natural gas distributor. No injuries were. The transmission line served most of the homes and businesses in the area. It comes off a 24-inch high-pressure line that rings Atlanta. The line rupture emptied buildings as firefighters from Cobb County and Marietta worked to clear the area and close off the streets. A daycare center, an office park, a small shopping center, a Wendy's and a Chevron gas station evacuated, Marietta officials said. About 500 workers at the WellStar administrative headquarters were sent home for the day. About 150 children were evacuated by bus to Cornerstone Baptist Church.
Link: "Sandy Plains Road reopens after gas leak "
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
UF Accident #5386
Marietta, GA 04/08/2008
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Gas
A construction crew accidentally broke a gas main in Valley Center prompting a road closure and evacuations. The crew was working on a road widening project on Valley Center Road at around 7:40 a.m. when the 6-inch gas main was struck and broke open, fire officials said. Valley Center Road between Woods Valley and Lilac roads was immediately shut down and a few dozen residents and business owners in the area were evacuated. A repair crew from the San Diego Gas & Electric Co. was sent to the scene.
Link: "Gas line severed in Valley Center "
SignOnSanDiego.com
UF Accident #5387
Valley Center, CA 04/08/2008
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Gas
Contract workers broke a water line in Seminole County leaving many residents without water.
Seminole County officials said the contractor was preparing for a new wastewater line on Eagle Circle in Casselberry. The crew hit the water line, leaving a 2-foot break and 100,000 gallons of water gushing out, flooding the streets and causing a sinkhole. Residents came home to a boil-water notice on their doors. The water outage affected 57 homes in the area. The break was fixed and water was restored to residents about 7:30 p.m.
Link: "Water Main Break Leaves Residents Dry"
WESH 2
UF Accident #5391
Casselberry, FL 04/08/2008
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Gas
A break in a gas main kept a mile-long stretch of Oakton Street between Dodge Avenue and McCormick Boulevard closed for several hours, officials said. The natural gas leak began about 11 a.m., when a contractor doing excavation work in the 2400 block of Oakton broke the main. Evanston Fire Department officials and NICOR workers were called to the scene. Residents within a six-block radius of the main break were advised to keep their doors and windows closed.
Link: "Gas leak closes stretch of Oakton Street in Evanston for a couple of hours"
Chicago Tribune
UF Accident #5384
Evanston, IL 04/07/2008
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Gas
A Pacific Gas & Electric crew responded to a punctured gas line damaged by a construction crew. The rupture at North Main and Bolivar streets occurred at 1 p.m. and was sealed in about 30 minutes, firefighters said. Customers did not lose gas services, PG&E reported.
Link: "PG&E crew repairs punctured gas line"
TheCalifornian.com
UF Accident #5385
Salinas, CA 04/07/2008
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Gas
A gas line break on the campus at East Stroudsburg University caused the brief evacuation of a portion of the campus Monday morning. A University spokesman said the break was caused by a contractor excavating on campus near the corner of Smith and Normal streets. The East Stroudsburg Fire Department and Stroud Area Regional Police responded. As a safety precaution, students in Lenape and Hemlock residence halls were evacuated to the cafeteria in Dansbury Commons for about 30 minutes. No injuries were reported.
Link: "ESU gas line break prompts brief evacuation"
Pocono Record
UF Accident #5383
East Stroudsburg, PA 04/07/2008
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Gas
An outside contractor cut through an AT&T fiber optic line causing a communications outage for more than 11 hours. The outage began at 1:48 p.m. when the contractor cut through the fiber near Race and High streets. Phones and computers could have been affected until the problem was fixed at 1:07 a.m. the following morning. The nearby Target store had to accept only cash or checks for most of the day because it was unable to process credit cards.
Link: "Cut fiber optic line leads to communication breakdown"
Springfield News-Sun
UF Accident #5382
Springfield, OH 04/05/2008
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Gas
Several homes were evacuated and a West Homestead neighborhood was shut down because of concerns over a broken gas line. Officials said someone was repairing a sewer line and hit a three-inch gas line. When fire fighters arrived on scene, they had full flowing gas. The police arrived here before the fire officials and started evacuating the homes. Authorities report that several homes in the area were evacuated until crews could make repairs the line and the homes can be aired out. Equitable Gas crews were called to the scene along with local police and fire crews.
Link: "Gas Line Hit, Broken In West Homestead"
KDKA 2
UF Accident #5381
West Homestead, PA 04/05/2008
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Gas
Dozens of people were evacuated from their central Tauranga workplacesafter a worker ruptured a gas pipeline. The gas leak, just outside Firestone on Cameron Rd and Second Ave, disrupted traffic for a short time just after 9am with police cordoning off a section of one of the main roads into Tauranga. Fire trucks, police and a gas company worker were quickly on the scene.
Link: "Evacuation after city gas leak"
Bay of Plenty Times
UF Accident #5373
Tauranga, New Zealand 04/04/2008
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Gas
A gas leak forced the evacuation of several dozen Plainwell residents. The leak occurred around 4:30 p.m. under the street at the corner of North Sherwood Avenue and Mariette Street. A private contractor was performing sewer repair work. A gas line was then ruptured and discharged into the sewer line. Residents living along North Sherwood Avenue, Mariette Street, Sterling Street, Oak Street, Kenwood Street, and part of Floral Avenue were evacuated. The evacuation was lifted about two hours later.
Link: "Gas leak evacuates dozens in Plainwell"
WOOD TV
UF Accident #5380
Plainwell, MI 04/04/2008
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Gas
Firefighters responding to a call about a gas odor heard the sound of hissing gas in this upscale community on Fayette Road. Minutes after fire fighters orderd contractors off the property of a $2.4 million six-bedroom colonial-style house they were remodeling, the building exploded. The force of the explosion was so great that light fixtures rattled at a middle school a mile away. The explosion, which brought neighbors out of their homes, spewed pieces of the house across the road. Following the explosion, the house burst into flames. The fire fighters were able to prevent neighboring houses from catching fires. No one was injured. Fire officials said investigators believed that a worker who had been installing a storm drain mistakenly dislodged a gas line with his backhoe. A spokesman for the developer building the house said his workers told him after the explosion that the gas line was incorrectly marked. But a spokeswoman for Con Edison said that the utility had been on the site to label the lines, a routine practice during such construction projects. She also stated that contractors are advised to hand dig within two feet of a gas line rather than use a backhoe.
Link: "Gas-Line Rupture Reduces a Westchester Builder’s Project to Rubble "
New York Times
UF Accident #5374
Scarsdale, NY 04/03/2008
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Gas
A gas leak occurred at the gas station located next to Belgrade's Rocky Mountain Supply. The leak shut down a portion of the area. A commercial drilling outfitter apparently struck a supply line at the gas station, between the gasoline tanks at the dispensing unit. Officials say gasoline as well as vapors were released.
The gas setup between the tanks and the dispenser has an automatic shut-off, and that was triggered upon the rupture of the underground line, officials said.
Link: "Crews respond to Belgrade gas leak"
KPAX-TV
UF Accident #5375
Belgrade, MT 04/03/2008
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Gas
A law firm was evacuated after a gas main was accidentally cut at a nearby construction site. Ottawa firefighters were dispatched at 11:30 a.m. to the 700 block of East Etna Road for a report of a broken gas line. A construction crew installing a sewer in the area cut a 4-inch gas main. At 12:09 p.m., employees at the law were evacuated when employees reported feeling dizzy and nauseous. Nicor was notified and shut off the gas to the building. Firefighters stayed at the scene until about 2:30 p.m., when Nicor had control of the flow of gas.
Link: "Building evacuated after gas line cut "
MyWebTimes.com
UF Accident #5379
Ottawa, IL 04/03/2008
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Gas
A portion of Otho Street was blocked and businesses were evacuated after a gas pipe exploded at the back of the Inverell Police Station.
Excavation workers hit the pipe while working behind the Inverell Court House. It took about an hour and 20 minutes to fix the problem. Inverell Fire Brigade attended the incident to stop the gas leak. There were five fire brigade officers who were involved in the action while other officers and police supervised and blocked Otho Street. Gas fitters from Macintyre Gas checked out the gas cylinder after the fire brigade finished the work and it was deemed safe about 2pm.
Link: "Gas leak causes evacuation "
Inverell Times
UF Accident #5376
Inverell, New South Wales 04/03/2008
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Gas
ABout 20 homes were evacuated after workers accidently punctured a natural gas line at 89 Breakwater Place about 3:30 p.m. Lower Township police, rescue and firefighters were dispatched to the scene. One person suffered from shortness of breath and was assisted by rescue workers.
The gas line was secured at 4:23 p.m. and residents were allowed to return to their homes.
Link: "Workers Rupture Gas Line; 20 Homes Evacuated"
Cape May County Herald
UF Accident #5359
North Cape May, NJ 04/03/2008
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Water
Drivers struggle to make their way around part of Colorado Springs after part of a busy road has to be closed when a crew drilled into a water main. Crews say a contractor drilled completely through a major water line. Repairs took extra time because of more problems in the same pipe once the initial break was fixed. No homes or businesses lost water during the repairs.
Link: "Water Main Break Closes Fillmore for Almost a Day"
KRDO.com
UF Accident #5360
Colorado Springs, CO 04/03/2008
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Gas
A nearly 100-year-old downtown church was destroyed in an explosiog that injured seven people. The fire and blast were believed to have been caused by a ruptured gas main. The explosion occurred about 1:30 p.m., and by midafternoon, only the bell tower at First Baptist Church was left standing amid the ruins. Later, Fire Department officials planned to tear down the bell tower because it was in danger of collapsing. One house next door to the church also was destroyed, and another was heavily damaged by fires sparked by the explosion. Both houses were owned by the church and rented to families. Residents of other area homes were evacuated to a nearby school.
Of the seven people injured, five were transported to hospitals. Four people, including workers installing new sewer lines in front of the church, were taken to Oconomowoc Memorial Hospital with minor injuries. A person with head injuries was taken to Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa, city officials said. Two firefighters also suffered injuries and were treated at the scene. A woman who lives next door to the church was home at the time of the explosion and suffered minor smoke inhalation and eye injuries caused by flying glass and debris, officials said. About an hour before the explosion, city officials had received a call about a smell of gas in front of the church. After the blast, witnesses reported a strong smell of natural gas in the area. A project manager working with an Illinois firm that was hired by the City of Oconomowoc to oversee the laying of underground electric lines in connection with a major reconstruction of Wisconsin Ave., said a backhoe was working in the street in front of the church installing new sewer lines. The construction official said he believed the backhoe struck a gas main, causing the explosion. A spokesman for We Energies said crews were checking problems with a natural gas line before the explosion. The utility was notified about 12:30 p.m. that a private construction contractor had struck a natural gas line in the area of the First Baptist Church. After the blast, We Energies turned off gas service to about 150 customers in the area to prevent natural gas from feeding any ongoing fires. Fire crews from eight departments assisted the Oconomowoc Fire Department.
Link: "Blast levels church "
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel Online
UF Accident #5357
Oconomowoc, WI 04/02/2008
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Water
After a local electric company bored through a public water supply line, officials issued a precautionary boil advisory. A crew member with the electric company called city hall about 10 a.m. to say they had ruptured a main water supply line. The crew was working to install a new service pole at the Concordia Bank construction site on North Main Street.
Link: "Precautionary boil advisory issued for Laurie water"
Westside Star
UF Accident #5361
Laurie, MO 04/02/2008
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Power
More than 1,000 Southern California Edison customers lost power after construction workers dug into an underground utility line in Cathedral City. The power went out at about 10:30 a.m., when a worker hit a line near the intersection of Date Palm Drive and Vista Chino. The Cathedral City Public Works Department was repairing a sinkhole in the area and hit an unmarked, hidden power conduit, a city spokesman said.
Link: "Construction crew hits utility line; cuts power in Cathedral City"
The Desert Sun
UF Accident #5363
Cathedral City, CA 04/02/2008
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Sewer
Drivers on West Lowell Avenue faced a nuisance when a contractor digging up the street to do sewer work hit a pipe. Police closed part of the residential road to through traffic. The contractor was digging a deep utility ditch to extend a sewer pipe to a new house on the street when workers digging the ditch hit and damaged a sewer pipe that runs to another home in the neighborhood.
Link: "Drivers blocked from Haverhill street when contractor hits sewer pipe "
The Eagle-Tribune
UF Accident #5364
Haverhill, MA 04/02/2008
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Gas
The lanes were closed just north of Sixth Street as crews worked to repair a gas pipe in the morning, but the lanes reopened later in the day.
A contractor working in the area of Fairfax Avenue and Maryland Drive accidentally struck the pipe.
No homes were evacuated, but officials were unsure how long the Southern California Gas Company employees would be on scene repairing the pipe.
Link: "Broken gas pipe closes Fairfax"
abc7.com
UF Accident #5365
West Los Angeles, CA 04/02/2008
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Gas
Crews from the Carmel Fire Department were on the scene of a broken gas line on Guadalupe Street near Third Avenue. The rupture was reported just before 11:30 a.m. and was caused when someone digging up a tree stump hit the pipe, firefighters said. Pacific Gas and Electric were notified.
Link: "Gas line break reported in Carmel"
The Monterey County Herald
UF Accident #5367
Carmel, CA 04/01/2008
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Gas
Fire officials alerted Hendersonville High School and Bruce Drysdale Elementary School of a gas leak. Workers accidentally cut a gas line at the Hendersonville Fire Department at 12:30 p.m., fire officials said. After 30 minutes, the gas company secured the leak. Air monitoring tests revealed there was no threat of an explosion. For precautionary measures, the Fire Department temporarily cut off traffic along Church Street.
Link: "Gas line breaks at city"
Times-News Online
UF Accident #5368
Hendersonville, NC 04/01/2008
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Gas
King Road, near Sylvania Avenue in Sylvania, was closed to traffic and a nearby Kroger Store was evacuated when a construction crew hit a natural gas line, causing a leak, authorities said. The incident left 17 area businesses, including the Kroger store, without service. There were no injuries, Sylvania police said. A three-inch plastic medium-pressure line was struck about 11:30 a.m., causing gas to leak into the atmosphere.
About 10 minutes later, the area was secured and the store was evacuated, according to police. By 11:50 a.m., utility crews shut down the line and began to repair it. Kroger customers were allowed back in the store by about 12:30 p.m., by which time traffic on King returned to normal, police said.
Link: "King Road closed, store evacuated due to gas leak"
Toledo Blade
UF Accident #5334
Toledo, OH 03/31/2008
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Gas
About 50 people were evacuated from an Indio construction site after a worker ruptured two natural gas mains with a backhoe, but no one was injured, authorities said. Firefighters responded to a report of a gas leak on Monroe Street near Villa Giardino about 8 a.m., officials said. Two mains were severed, a 2-inch main and an 8-inch main.
Monroe Street between Avenues 41 and 42 was closed down while firefighters took care of the situation.
Link: "No One Hurt After Gas Leak in Indio"
KESQ.com
UF Accident #5351
Indio, CA 03/31/2008
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Gas
Three houses in Paradise Hills were evacuated after a contractor hit a gas line, according to San Diego Gas & Electric. The homes were evacuated at the intersection of Jouglard and Jester streets around 11:30 a.m., and people were allowed to return around 1 p.m. when the line was capped According to a gas company official, the contractor was doig trenching work when he hit the line. The line had been marked, but the contractor went too deep and hit the line. The gas line that was broken did not serve houses in the area.
Link: "Homes Evacuated Due To Gas Line Break"
10News.com
UF Accident #5352
Paradise Hills, CA 03/31/2008
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Gas
Construction workers ruptured a 2-inch natural gas line in Harrison Township forcing about 40 residents to leave their homes at Lakeview Village Condominiums. The residents said they were inconvenienced for two hours. Macomb County sheriff's deputies rerouted traffic around the area on Crocker Boulevard and Jefferson Avenue at Shook Road. The main gas feed line was cut by a contractor. Consumers Energy and the fire department took an explosive meter reading and the numbers were too close to an emergency level. The gas company had to dig to the main gas line to clamp it shut. Consumers Energy cut the gas line Monday afternoon and replaced the damaged section with a good line.
Link: "Gas line break forces 40 from condominiums"
The Macomb Daily
UF Accident #5358
Harrison Township, MI 03/31/2008
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Gas
Farmington firefighters were called out to a gas leak in Empire township around 3:45 p.m. where they found a homeowner had struck a main gas line while digging a hole next to a grain elevator on his property. Workers cut into a high pressure six-inch gas main. Not only was the gas leak a problem, a fire official said, but the gas main happened to be located within five feet of a high voltage electrical transformer. If that were not enough, a 500-gallon diesel fuel tank and a couple of silos were close by, as well. The area of the leak was evacuated. Two Farmington fire trucks and several fighters were on standby — with the protection of two buildings between them and the hole — just in case of an explosion. Fortunately, the explosion never happened. Xcel Energy sent a crew to the site to turn off the electricty to the area. With that done, a Minnesota Energy Resources crew was able to dig up the gas line and make repairs. The fire department was on site until approximately 5:30 p.m.
Link: "Digging causes gas line break Monday"
Farmington Independent
UF Accident #5362
Farmington, MN 03/31/2008
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Gas
Decker Hall residents were evacuated from their dorm and the fire department was called after contractors hit a natural gas pipeline located between Decker and the Dover Campus Center while digging. According to multiple sources, contractors hit a natural gas pipeline at 12:30 p.m. while digging to pour a concrete footing for new parking spaces for caf employees. University police were notifid of the incident within the first five minutes of the leak, evacuated the Decker residents evacuate and called the Boiling Springs City Fire Department.
Officials said they knew there was a 2-inch gas line, but it was running in the opposite direction to where they were working. They hit a secondary line that they didn't know about.
Link: "Oops! Backhoe breaks gas pipeline"
GWU Pilot
UF Accident #5366
Shelby, NC 03/31/2008
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Gas
A major Collier County road re-opened after a gas leak forced authorities to close it for nearly 10 hours. Traffic in both directions on Santa Barbara Boulevard near the I-75 overpass was shut down around 5:30 p.m. after a construction crew hit a gas pipe and caused a leak. It took crews from TECO Energy close to 10 hours to fix the problem.
Link: "Santa Barbara shut down for hours after crews hit gas pipe"
WBBH-HD
UF Accident #5345
Collier County, FL 03/28/2008
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GasPower
A construction crew struck a gas line and electrical cable causing a major fire around noon on Liberty Road and Monroe Ave. Sykesville fire crews arrived and were informed by the construction crew they were installing sewer lines and hit the electric and gas lines causing an explosion. Sykesville and Gamber fire crews evacuated nearby homes as a precaution. BGE crews arrived to shut down the gas line approximately 2 hours after the start of the incident. After shutting the gas line down, the fire was placed out. Fire crews remained on scene to assist BGE crews with cooling down the hole where the gas line was struck. Fire crews remained on scene for about 4 hours. No one was hurt, but some shoppers were inconvenienced since the electrical cable feeds a local grocery store, knocking it into the dark.
Link: "Major Gas Line Fire Out In Eldersburg "
WJZ
UF Accident #5347
Eldersburg, MD 03/28/2008
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Gas
Nearly two dozen East Albany homes were evacuated because of a severed gas line. The contractor contacted Water, Gas, and Light before beginning, but the gas line put in back in the 1950s wasn't on the current map. When the line burst, firefighters evacuated neighbors. Residents were allowed to return to their homes 30 minutes later. Firefighters say WG&L quickly responded and shut down the gas line to the home.
Link: "Ruptures Gas Line Wasn"
WALB.com
UF Accident #5354
Albany, GA 03/28/2008
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Gas
A mile stretch of Halsted Street was closed to traffic through the evening rush hour after a gas main line was punctured earlier in the day. The road has been closed between 183rd Street and Holbrook Road in Glenwood since around 10 a.m., police said. A telephone company repair crew reportedly hit a gas main line along the road, which was then closed as Nicor crews responded to the scene.
Link: "Gas main rupture closes 1-mile stretch of Halsted Street in Glenwood"
Chicago Tribune
UF Accident #5355
Glenwood, IL 03/28/2008
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Comm
Telephone and Internet service was restored to South Florida Baptist Hospital after an accident that severed a fiber-optics line. The line was repaired by midafternoon, a hospital spokeswoman said. The fiber-optics line was cut about 11 a.m. by a crew doing work on the hospital campus at 301 N. Alexander St.
Link: "Accident Leaves Plant City Hospital Without Phone"
Tampa Tribune
UF Accident #5353
Plant City, FL 03/28/2008
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Comm
A four unit townhouse complex was deemed unsafe for occupancy by the fire department after a fire caused by a hit to an electrical line. The fire also caused damage to a connecting unit on Oak Thrush Court. A Verizon contractor was digging near the affected property that morning. A Fire and Rescue Department’s Public Affairs office spokesman explained that a backhoe hit an electrical line, causing a spark to ignite a fire in the attic of the Summer Oak home. Burke Fire and Rescue Station 14 responded to the one-alarm fire. Firefighters were able to bring the fire under control in about 20 minutes. No injuries were reported, but two families were displaced. Damage on the two properties was estimated at $40,000. The contractor was preparing to install FIOS, or fiber optic services, in the area. A Verizon spokesman, said the underground power cable that was struck was unmarked. He said the company is still investigating the incident to determine why it was not marked and who would ultimately be responsible.
Link: "Utility Work Ignites Blaze"
Burke Connection
UF Accident #5346
Burke, VA 03/27/2008
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Gas
The northbound and southbound lanes of Santa Barbara Boulevard were shut between Golden Gate Parkway and Radio Road because of a natural gas leak. Around 5:17 p.m. a construction worker drilling near a street light base hit a gas line, said fire officials. East Naples and Golden Gate firefighters were standing by in case of any problems, as were Collier County sheriff’s deputies. Teco Energy was on the scene to help fix the leak. The leak was near the Berkshire Lakes community.
Link: "Gas leak shuts down southbound lanes of Santa Barbara Boulevard between Golden Gate Parkway and Radio Road"
Naples News
UF Accident #5356
Marco Island, FL 03/27/2008
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Gas
Construction workers hit a gas line which caused a leak for more than two hours and left a commercial area gasless, a fire official said.
The leak was reported at 9:20 a.m. in the 2300 block of Blanding Avenue. East Bay Municipal Utility District officials were repairing and digging up the street when they hit a 2-inch, plastic gas main with construction equipment. The main was fixed by noon. About 20 Pacific Gas and Electric Co. customers in a mainly commercial area are expected to remain without gas until about 3 p.m.
Link: "Gas leak in Alameda repaired"
Alameda Times-Star
UF Accident #5342
Alameda, CA 03/26/2008
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Gas
A broken gas main slowed traffic and cleared businesses near FlatIron Crossing mall. Police shut down the eastbound lane of FlatIrons Crossing Drive about 3:15 p.m., after a construction crew boring utility lines nicked the existing 3½- to 4-inch gas line adjacent to the street, a North Metro Fire Rescue District spokeswoman said. No one was injured in the incident, but wind carried gas fumes to nearby businesses prompting self-evacuation of some stores. Xcel Energy was on the scene to repair the pipe by about 3:45 p.m.
Link: "Gas line cut at Flatiron Marketplace"
DailyCamera.com
UF Accident #5343
Northglenn, CO 03/26/2008
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Comm
North Carolina Department of Transportation workers accidentally cut a telephone cable around 11:40 a.m. leaving area residents with no land line or in some cases, no cellular telephone service. Workers from Embarq repaired the line and service was returned by 3:30 p.m. A spokesperson for the Coats Police Department said there were no emergency situations during the four-hour telephone outage. Crew members from a subcontractor were installing a water line when the cable cut occurred. The water line and telephone cables run parallel to N.C. 55 in downtown Coats. An Embarq spokesman said an optic cable had been crimped; an incident he said should have been avoided as telephone cables are marked by fluorescent orange paint. According to the spokesman, the contractors did call 811 before they dug, but still spliced and crimped the cable. A spokesman for the subcontractor said the phone cable markings were faded and that the telephone line crossed where the water line was to be installed noting workers saw the markings after they hit the line.
Link: "Coats Phone Service Cut"
Dunn Daily Record
UF Accident #5344
Coats, NC 03/26/2008
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Gas
A natural gas leak on the city's West Side closed Briggs Road near Harrisburg Pike. Three nearby businesses were evacuated, including an area Speedway, medical center and 3-C Body Shop. The fire department said gas vapors were going into the sewer lines after a utility company hit the line while performing maintenance. The water, sewer and gas companies all were called to the scene. Officials asked area businesses and people not to smoke or start vehicles.
Link: "West Side Gas Leak Causes Closing, Evac"
UF Accident #5330
Columbus, OH 03/25/2008
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Gas
Business was back to normal in downtown Kalamazoo just after 4 p.m. after a gas leak that prompted the evacuation of some businesses near the State Theatre. The 2:30 p.m. evacuation in the area of South Burdick and Lovell streets included part of the Kalamazoo Gazette office. Employees there were moved away from windows and parts of the building facing those two streets. Crews working on a new traffic signal were digging at the intersection when they struck a gas line. Public Safety closed streets within a block of the leak. Through traffic on Lovell Street was closed, and pedestrian and automobile traffic in and out of the Epic Center parking ramp was halted. Kalamazoo Adantage Academy's 300 students were moved two blocks north to the Radisson Plaza Hotel & Suites on Michigan Avenue.
Link: "Downtown businesses given the all clear following gas leak"
Kalamazoo Gazette
UF Accident #5340
Kalamazoo, MI 03/25/2008
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Gas
New York State Electric and Gas workers repaired a leaking gas line, which forced the evacuation of two buildings on Fairgrounds Memorial Parkway.
Ithaca firefighters and police responded to the currently empty Bed, Bath and Beyond store between Wal-Mart and Lowe’s after a contractor accidentally drilled into a 2-nch gas main with an auger around noon, Ithaca fire officials said. Police and firefighters evacuated the buildings and surrounding area and formed a perimeter around it while NYSEG workers dug down to a valve box to shut off the gas, the officials said. The gas was shut off at about 1 p.m., and people were allowed back in the area after it was checked for residual gas, they added.
Link: "Gas line repaired after leak forces evacuation"
The Ithaca Journal
UF Accident #5341
Ithaca, NY 03/25/2008
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Gas
A downtown Richmond intersection was shut down briefly and several nearby buildings were evacuated after a natural gas leak was discovered. Authorities said the problem was reported shortly after 9 a.m. near North Third and East Leigh streets when a construction crew working in the area hit a gas line. North Third Street was closed at the Leigh Street intersection at about 9:30, and people in several nearby buildings were evacuated as a precaution. A few minutes later, crews reported that the gas line had been shut off and that workers were repairing the line.
Link: "Gas leak shuts down area of Richmond"
inrich.com
UF Accident #5332
Richmond, VA 03/24/2008
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Gas
About 200 Aurora residents were evacuated from their homes because of a gas main leak on River Street, authorities said. A construction crew working on a water and sewer project hit 2" dead-end gas main near 430 N. River St. about 2 p.m. There were no injuries. More than 50 people at a nearby senior living facility were moved from one section of the site to another. A Nicor spokesman, said the gas was shut off at 4:15 p.m. after crews dug into the street to clear an area around the line. The gas leak was resolved around 4:30 p.m. and all residents have been permitted to return to their homes.
Link: "About 200 Aurora residents evacuated after gas main leak"
Chicago Tribune
UF Accident #5335
Aurora, IL 03/24/2008
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Gas
UPDATE--A nine-man crew descended some 1,500 feet into a pipeline at a Georgetown power plant last fall. The men were using a highly flammable solvent to spray epoxy paint inside the 12-foot-wide tunnel, but they carried no fire extinguishers. The fan they used to ventilate the area wouldn't push dangerous fumes far enough away to make the air around the men safe. The light bulbs on their sprayers, at their coolest temperature, were hot enough to ignite the flammable vapors. Their power source had an open circuit breaker, and the electrical controls on their sprayers were not explosion-proof. On March 23, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration said those conditions contributed to the Oct. 2 death of five men inside the penstock at Xcel's Cabin Creek hydroelectric power plant. The men died after an electrical spark ignited a fire and trapped them inside. Four others escaped. OSHA proposed $845,100 in penalties against RPI, and $189,900 in penalties for Xcel "for alleged serious and willful violations of federal workplace safety and health standards."
Xcel Energey officials said they disagreed with any finding that implied the company acted without regard to the workers' safety. They also extended sympathies to the family, friends and co-workers of the men who died. The pipeline had only one exit. When the fire occurred, four men were below the fire, about a quarter-mile from the door. Those men and DeJaynes, who was uphill of the fire, died. A spokesman for the Clear Creek County Sheriff's Office said an investigation into the fire was completed last month. Reports were turned over to the district attorney of the Fifth Judicial District, who is reviewing them to determine if criminal charges should be filed. The OSHA investigation turned up 13 "willful" citations — or violations that indicate intentional disregard for worker safety — and 25 serious citations against RPI Coatings, including some that were not related to the fire. Xcel was issued two willful citations, for not taking precautions to protect its workers from hazards in the tunnel and not ensuring proper rescue services were available.
Link: "$1 million fine in pipeline fire that killed five"
Rocky Mountain News
UF Accident #5336
Georgetown, CA 03/24/2008
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Gas
Laurel Park officials evacuated construction workers and one resident after workers struck a gas line. Workers laying a water line along Indian Woods Trail hit a gas line at 2:35 p.m., according to a fire official. Workers at a house under construction and one resident nearby were evacuated as a precaution. Along with PSNC Energy, the Valley Hill Fire Department, Laurel Park Public Works Department and Laurel Park Police Department responded to the gas leak.
Link: "Gas line break forces a small evacuation"
Time-News Online
UF Acci |
