A number of Langford residents were evacuated from their homes this morning after a contractor accidentally cracked open a natural gas main on Loma Linda Drive in the Happy Valley area.
The roar of venting natural gas could be heard far and wide for more than two-and-a-half hours as FortisBC crews dug two holes in Happy Valley Road to crimp the six-inch diameter line.
Resident Dennis Dyck was enjoying a coffee in his backyard when he heard what to him sounded like a torn air compressor hose. B次元官网网址淭he sound was amazingly loud,B次元官网网址� he said while waiting in his truck with dogs Pepper and Lilly, a few blocks from his house.
Langford fire Chief Bob Beckett confirmed a backhoe operator hit the gas line at 9 a.m. while while digging into Loma Linda Drive for the installation of a larger water line. B次元官网网址淭he operator wasnB次元官网网址檛 aware the gas line was in this location, according to his plans,B次元官网网址� Beckett said.
FortisBC spokesperson Marcus Wong couldnB次元官网网址檛 say if there are discrepancies between the gas line map and gas lines in the ground in this case, but stressed the company provides detailed maps to the public.
B次元官网网址淲hen it comes to maps we have a proven track record, we have very accurate maps,B次元官网网址� he said. Wong said the company doesnB次元官网网址檛 mark gas line locations on the roadway prior to roadwork.
A different contractor broke open a smaller natural gas line earlier this week on the other side of Loma Linda. Beckett said two breaks near the same location is a concern and WorksafeBC and Langford engineering are working with FortisBC and the contractor.
Anyone digging into the ground is recommended to call the B次元官网网址淏C OneCallB次元官网网址� service to obtain maps for any underground utility, Wong said, and any contractor should hand dig until they find the utility line.
Dyck, who used to operate an excavator himself, said he witnessed the contractor hand digging the trench in search of gas lines.
Happy Valley Road was closed for most of the morning and early afternoon from Klahanie Drive into Metchosin, as Fortis crews worked to shut down the leak. A few residents and a day care were evacuated as a precaution, but Beckett said risk of explosion was limited.
The risk of igniting natural gas could happen from a cigarette, a spark or static electricity, but the the fuel is lighter than air and dissipates quickly into the atmosphere.
B次元官网网址淚t sounded like a jet engine going off. ItB次元官网网址檚 was a lot of high pressure, a lot of gas being released into the atmosphere,B次元官网网址� Beckett said. B次元官网网址淭here is a risk, but under these conditions, being a six-inch (pipe), had there been a source of ignition, the flames would have gone directly into the sky."
editor@goldstreamgazette.com
