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Gas leak forces downtown evacuation
By Justin Goble, Derek Hodges and Carey Phillips
A natural gas leak forced the evacuation of part of downtown Sylva last Wednesday (Sept. 28).
Workers for Tugaloo Pipeline out of Westminster, S.C., struck the gas line at approximately 3:15 p.m. while working on Tuckaseigee Water and Sewer Authority’s Mill Street sewer line.
The escaping gas forced the evacuation of Main and Mill streets from their eastern intersection west to Spring Street. Sylva zoning administrator Jim Aust, who helped clear the street, said officials were worried about the safety of those on Main Street.
Cars were sent the wrong way downtown last Wednesday (Sept. 28) when parts of Main and Mill Streets were evacuated due to a natural gas leak. Workers for Tugaloo Pipeline struck the PSNC Energy gas line at approximately 3:15 p.m., and emergency officials moved people down to the Spring and Main intersection and rerouted traffic to avoid downtown’s east end. Repair crews had the gas leak contained by 4:30 p.m., at which time the roads were reopened to traffic. Final repairs were completed an hour later. – Herald photo by Nick Breedlove
“Our main concern right now is getting people off of the street,” he said during the evacuation, which was ordered by Fire Chief Mike Beck.
The incident was nearly unavoidable, said TWSA Director Joe Cline.
“When you’re working downtown, the space is very confined,” he said. “At some points, there is as little as a few inches between the sewer line and the gas line. It’s just real tight digging. All the procedures were followed properly. The gas line just turned six inches, and that’s all it took.”
Cline also said that the Tugaloo workers did all they could do to avoid hitting the line for their own safety.
“No one wants to break a gas line,” he said. “Those that break it are usually the ones that are in the most danger.”
PSNC Energy, which operates the gas line, had a team come in and do the necessary repairs to the line, Cline said. After gas was shut off, streets were reopened and people returned to the area around 4:30 p.m. Repair work was finished and the trench filled in about an hour later.
PSNC representative Brian Harris was on site with the Tugaloo workers, which allowed for the quick response time from both emergency and repair teams.
The danger level was high initially, according to Beck.
Workers from Tugaloo Pipeline assist firefighters and town officials in evacuating part of Mill Street last Wednesday (Sept. 28) after the company struck a natural gas line while replacing the sewer line. Workers tried to avoid striking the gas line, but it was so close to the sewer line that it was nearly unavoidable, according to Tuckaseseigee Water and Sewer Authority Director Joe Cline. After the evacuation, PSNC Energy, which owns the gas line, had crews isolate the damaged section and repair the leak. Mill and Main streets were back open a little over an hour after the leak was first reported, and the leak was repaired and the trench filled in by about 5:30 p.m. – Herald photo by Nick Breedlove
“The lower part of town could have disappeared,” he said. “The wind was blowing (the gas) into the buildings, and the buildings are not airtight.”
There was some concern that gas could have entered the sewer line, but Beck said that was unlikely.
“The good part about natural gas is it usually goes up,” he said.
When the evacuation began, cars that were already downtown were directed the wrong way on Main Street and sent onto Spring Street to reach Mill Street. Authorities later ordered that no cars be started and blocked traffic off another block west to Landis Street.
“As far as being able to contain the area, it couldn’t have happened at a better location,” Police Chief Jeff Jamison said. “As far as the threat of fire, it couldn’t have happened at a worse area.”
Portions of Spring and Allen streets, which have been closed due to ongoing sewer line construction, were reopened to divert traffic around the area. Ironically, a letter to the editor in last week’s Herald had advocated closing the section of Spring between Main and Mill, but Jamison said that would not work on a regular basis much less in an emergency.
“We use that street on a daily basis,” he said. “We routinely use Spring Street anytime there is traffic diversion. Closing it would create a public safety issue.”
While the danger from fire was high, Jamison said danger from the leak itself was minimal.
“Natural gas dissipates very quickly,” he said. “In the immediate area around the leak, there was probably some danger because of the gas.”
At the time of the break a Jackson County school bus was unloading children near the site of the accident. The bus, driven by Debbie Watson, transports students from Smoky Mountain High and Fairview schools.
A construction worker ran up the street yelling a warning in Spanish to Watson, according to Superintendent Sue Nations. Watson, who does not speak Spanish, was notified in English a short time later and told to move the children out of the area. She then drove the bus to Mark Watson Park, where several of the students began complaining of headaches.
Those students were transported, via EMS, to Harris Regional Hospital, where they were examined and released, Nations said.
Assistant Superintendent Steve Jones went to the hospital to monitor the situation, while Nations and Fairview Principal Dennis Proffitt remained in their offices to field calls from parents.
“Both (Emergency Services Coordinator) Mike Ensley and Mike Beck told me the bus driver responded very well,” Nations said. “I think she did a terrific job getting those kids out of there and to a safe place.”
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