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While those who listen to scanners or saw fire trucks next to backhoes Tuesday morning on one of Waynesville’s major streets may have been concerned, Waynesville Rural Fire Chief Doug Yurecko said a natural gas leak caused by contractors working on the Patriot Commons project in West Waynesville posed little danger to the public.
Workers using a backhoe hit the top of a 2-inch gas line Tuesday morning while doing construction work. City utility workers and Waynesville firefighters responded, remaining on the scene until city workers were able to patch the gas line.
“As long as natural gas is not in a confined area, it is very safe and these (city workers) are trained in working with active lines,” Yurecko said.
Things would have been entirely different with a larger metal high-pressure natural gas line; a similar but much more serious break in St. Robert on Missouri Avenue several years ago triggered a major emergency response and could have led to a serious explosion.
However, Yurecko cautioned that those who break a natural gas line during construction often won’t know how to evaluate the danger level and need to call 911 immediately.
Danny Graves, who helped install Waynesville’s natural gas system in 1995, said he takes all reports of natural gas pipeline breaches very seriously.
“If it had been a high pressure line, we would have had to shut down the road,” Graves said.
It’s not clear why the backhoe struck the natural gas line. Various markers on the construction site trace the routes of utility lines and it appears the contractor had called utility companies to mark the location of the line.
“I don’t know if (the natural gas line) was not marked or what happened,” Graves said. “We have this happen a time or two a year and we get out here really quick.”
Anyone who detects a strong odor of rotten eggs or hears a hissing sound that may be natural gas should call 911 immediately, Graves said.
“When they hear gas spraying, it is always a good sign that you’ve hit a line,” Graves said.
In its raw form, natural gas has no odor. Yurecko said a chemical is added that generates the “rotten egg” smell to help people identify the presence of natural gas.
While those who listen to scanners or saw fire trucks next to backhoes Tuesday morning on one of Waynesville’s major streets may have been concerned, Waynesville Rural Fire Chief Doug Yurecko said a natural gas leak caused by contractors working on the Patriot Commons project in West Waynesville posed little danger to the public.
Workers using a backhoe hit the top of a 2-inch gas line Tuesday morning while doing construction work. City utility workers and Waynesville firefighters responded, remaining on the scene until city workers were able to patch the gas line.
“As long as natural gas is not in a confined area, it is very safe and these (city workers) are trained in working with active lines,” Yurecko said.
Things would have been entirely different with a larger metal high-pressure natural gas line; a similar but much more serious break in St. Robert on Missouri Avenue several years ago triggered a major emergency response and could have led to a serious explosion.
However, Yurecko cautioned that those who break a natural gas line during construction often won’t know how to evaluate the danger level and need to call 911 immediately.
Danny Graves, who helped install Waynesville’s natural gas system in 1995, said he takes all reports of natural gas pipeline breaches very seriously.
“If it had been a high pressure line, we would have had to shut down the road,” Graves said.
It’s not clear why the backhoe struck the natural gas line. Various markers on the construction site trace the routes of utility lines and it appears the contractor had called utility companies to mark the location of the line.
“I don’t know if (the natural gas line) was not marked or what happened,” Graves said. “We have this happen a time or two a year and we get out here really quick.”
Anyone who detects a strong odor of rotten eggs or hears a hissing sound that may be natural gas should call 911 immediately, Graves said.
“When they hear gas spraying, it is always a good sign that you’ve hit a line,” Graves said.
In its raw form, natural gas has no odor. Yurecko said a chemical is added that generates the “rotten egg” smell to help people identify the presence of natural gas.
