Thursday, April 23, 2015

GAS PIPELINE RUPTURE DURING EXCAVATION IS THE MOST COMMON CAUSE OF GAS LEAK: 4-INCH GAS LINE WAS HIT BY A CONSTRUCTION CREW DIGGING IN THE AREA OF BUCHANAN AND SOMERSVILLE ROADS IN ANTIOCH, CA





APRIL 23, 2015

ANTIOCH, CALIFORNIA (CBS SF) 

Another gas explosion averted.  A shelter-in-place order for residents of a mobile home park in Antioch has been lifted after PG&E stopped a gas leak in the area Thursday morning, fire and PG&E officials said.

The leak was reported at 8:41 a.m. in the area of Buchanan and Somersville roads, PG&E spokeswoman Tamar Sarkissian said.

The 4-inch gas line was hit by a construction crew digging in the area, Sarkissian said.

Residents of the nearby Chateau Mobile Home Park were asked to shelter in place and roads were closed in the area while PG&E worked on stopping the gas leak, Contra Costa County Fire Protection District Fire Marshal Robert Marshall said.

PG&E crews arrived and stopped the flow of gas by about 10:20 a.m. and the shelter-in-place order was lifted by about 10:30 a.m., Marshall said.

Sarkissian said it is important for anyone digging to call 811 to learn where natural gas lines are located.  This is many times academic, though, as many pipelines are not marked or are not marked accurately.  Most of the time, a one foot difference in location is all it takes to have a disaster.