Reprinted from "News Times Live.com"
Pavement grinder hits Bethel fuel line
By John Pirro
staff writer
BETHEL -- A pavement grinder ripping up asphalt on South Street struck a gas line Thursday afternoon, sparking a fire that destroyed the machine and left some 200 residents without power.
The gas-fed fire burned for almost four hours before a crew from Yankee Gas managed to locate a shutoff valve buried under the roadway.
"Thankfully, no one was hurt," Highway Department Superintendent Bob Dibble said.
The accident occurred about 3:45 p.m. on a section of South Street near Taylor Avenue. The machine was grinding up the old asphalt in preparation for repaving the roadway.
"I was about 20 feet behind the machine," Dibble said. "There was a 'whoomp' kind of noise, and a big fireball shot into the air."
Dibble said the grinder struck a "blowoff valve," which he said was designed to release gas if too much pressure built up in the line.
Bethel resident Matt Alongi said he was sitting in his doctor's office on Front Street, about a block away from the fire, when he heard a loud boom and rushed outside.
"All I could see was huge clouds of smoke coming up," he related.
Firefighters, police and emergency personnel rushed to the scene, just a block away from the downtown area, First Selectman Bob Burke said.
Health officials and personnel from the state Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Public Utilities Control were also on hand, he said.
Residents of several nearby homes were evacuated, and train service on the nearby Metro-North commuter line was delayed.
Burke said firefighters extinguished the blaze at about 7:30 p.m. after a utility crew turned off the gas.
The flames melted part of the siding on one house at the corner of Taylor Avenue and South Street, but the occupants weren't injured.
Burke said he expected electricity to be turned back on by about 2 a.m. Friday.
Dibble said a new machine would have to be brought in to finish the pavement grinding operation, but that he expected work to resume this morning.
The project is supposed to be done by next Friday.
Staff writer Dirk Perrefort contributed to this story
Some additional coverage:
http://hatcityblog.blogspot.com/2007/07/bethel-gas-fire-coverage.html
http://www.newstimeslive.com/news/story.php?id=1060130&source=big_barker
Pavement grinder hits Bethel fuel line
By John Pirro
staff writer
BETHEL -- A pavement grinder ripping up asphalt on South Street struck a gas line Thursday afternoon, sparking a fire that destroyed the machine and left some 200 residents without power.
The gas-fed fire burned for almost four hours before a crew from Yankee Gas managed to locate a shutoff valve buried under the roadway.
"Thankfully, no one was hurt," Highway Department Superintendent Bob Dibble said.
The accident occurred about 3:45 p.m. on a section of South Street near Taylor Avenue. The machine was grinding up the old asphalt in preparation for repaving the roadway.
"I was about 20 feet behind the machine," Dibble said. "There was a 'whoomp' kind of noise, and a big fireball shot into the air."
Dibble said the grinder struck a "blowoff valve," which he said was designed to release gas if too much pressure built up in the line.
Bethel resident Matt Alongi said he was sitting in his doctor's office on Front Street, about a block away from the fire, when he heard a loud boom and rushed outside.
"All I could see was huge clouds of smoke coming up," he related.
Firefighters, police and emergency personnel rushed to the scene, just a block away from the downtown area, First Selectman Bob Burke said.
Health officials and personnel from the state Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Public Utilities Control were also on hand, he said.
Residents of several nearby homes were evacuated, and train service on the nearby Metro-North commuter line was delayed.
Burke said firefighters extinguished the blaze at about 7:30 p.m. after a utility crew turned off the gas.
The flames melted part of the siding on one house at the corner of Taylor Avenue and South Street, but the occupants weren't injured.
Burke said he expected electricity to be turned back on by about 2 a.m. Friday.
Dibble said a new machine would have to be brought in to finish the pavement grinding operation, but that he expected work to resume this morning.
The project is supposed to be done by next Friday.
Staff writer Dirk Perrefort contributed to this story
Some additional coverage:
http://hatcityblog.blogspot.com/2007/07/bethel-gas-fire-coverage.html
http://www.newstimeslive.com/news/story.php?id=1060130&source=big_barker
