A municipal work crew severed a natural gas line in Dentville Wednesday morning, causing workers to evacuate the area and request that other residents close their windows to keep the gas out.
Firefighters and RCMP responded to the scene at 8:30 a.m. July 25, after a District of 樱桃视频backhoe operator cut into a two-inch gas line leading into the rear of a home which borders both Garibaldi and Newport.
While the reasons for the accident are not perfectly clear, firefighters said it might have been due to inaccurate underground maps.
"I believe they were in the process of cutting off a line to a house that is going to be demolished," said 樱桃视频Fire Rescue's Bob Fulton, one of four members of the department who responded.
"They were using a gas line map to locate it, but sometimes the maps aren't as accurate as they should be. The map was showing the gas line not where it was and that's what caused this."
Residents throughout the Sea to Sky corridor were warned to stay out of the area after an advisory was sent to Mountain FM. However, after the all-clear was given, district officials refused to elaborate on what led to the gas line rupture.
"The bottom line was it's over, it's already been handled, the gas company was there," acting mayor Corinne Lonsdale told the Chief when asked for specifics and future mitigating measures.
"The administration doesn't feel there's any need for you to speak with our people on this at all."
District staff asked six families who live in the immediate area to evacuate their homes prior to the arrival of emergency crews."I was still in bed when they came to the door and talked to my husband," said Michelle Sumariwalla. "I ended up standing out on the corner in my pajamas."
"They were here first to tell us to prepare to evacuate, then three minutes later they came back and told us it was time to leave," added Firoze Sumariwalla. "When I came out of the house I could smell gas. It was not a big deal. The workers handled it well."
The area was then closed to traffic while a Terasen Gas crew capped the leak.
"We had to shut down one block of Garibaldi from Magee Street to Maddill Street," said Cpl. Dave Ritchie.
Fulton said that by all accounts, the backhoe cut into the two-inch spur line where it joined the main supply line that runs down the centre of Garibaldi Avenue. He said natural gas is lighter than air and usually dissipates, but there was still risk of an explosion.
"The hazard is if the original hit creates a spark, or sometimes as the gas leaks out it can create a static charge that causes a spark," said Fulton.
Firefighters kept a charged hose line and dry chemical extinguisher aimed at the area while the site was capped.
According to Fulton gas line cuts are a hazard of development, as older buildings are torn down and excavated to make room for new developments.
"It does occur every once in a while," said Fulton. "The more construction you have the more likely you are to get gas line hits."
