Some Dravosburg Residents Told To Shelter-In-Place Due To Gas Leak
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DRAVOSBURG (KDKA) -- A natural gas leak triggered a shelter-in-place advisory for several residents in Dravosburg on Monday evening.
According to Allegheny County, the leak happened in the 400 block of Ridgeview Drive and was caused by a crew that was digging in the area.
"The electric company was out this evening replacing one of the poles at the intersection up here at Ridgeview and Clearview. When they went to drill the auger through, they hit a medium pressure gas line and ceased operations," said Dravosburg Borough Fire Chief Wayne Cosgrove.
The fire department was called in.
Chief Cosgrove said firefighters went home-to-home to alert the residents of the leak and to get meter readings.
"We went to every home on Valleyview, every home on Melrose Place, and then we also included Bettis Road, gas is heavier in there. It goes down, and this is an all valley behind us," he said.
No signs of gas were found, and Chief Cosgrove said everyone was ordered to shelter in place as a precaution.
"Thankfully, we had no readings, no issues inside the homes and everybody is going to be able to stay in their homes this evening," Chief Cosgrove said. "All in all, what we thought would have been 80 homes that would have to be evacuated or shelter in place without gas, there's only going to be 18 homes effected. So, it's a good outcome for something that could have been pretty bad."
Dravosburg: Natural gas release
400 Block Ridgeview Dr., Police, Fire and EMS on scene with a natural gas leak that was caused by a crew digging in area. Residences in the immediate area are being evacuated until the gas is shut off. There are no reported injuries.— Allegheny County (@Allegheny_Co) February 6, 2018
Those 18 homes were going to be without gas service for about four to six hours while the line was replaced by Peoples Gas crews. Then, the chief said crews would go back around to those homes to do another check and make sure furnaces were lit.
"The gas company had a phenomenal response for us tonight. They were here within a half hour. They were able to dig up the gas line and put a seal on it," Chief Cosgrove said.
No injuries were reported.
The West Mifflin and Duquesne fire departments were also brought in to assist, Port Authority buses came to the scene in case the residents needed a place to stay warm, and the municipal and fire department buildings were put on standby in case an emergency shelter was needed.