By James Gonser
Advertiser Staff Writer
A worker operating a backhoe hit and cracked a gas pipe at about 10 a.m. yesterday at the intersection of Lumi‘auau and Lumi‘aina streets near Waikele Shopping Center, causing the roads to be closed for about an hour and a half.
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| Firefighters get help with traffic control while stringing tape around the area where a backhoe cut the gas line.
Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser |
Fire Capt. Richard Soo said the area is near a townhome complex, and the high-pressure pipe, owned by The Gas Company, released a large amount of gas into the air. "The good thing is, this gas is lighter than air and is dissipating quickly," Soo said.
Roads were blocked to prevent the heat from a car engine from igniting the gas, Soo said.
The Fire Department sent 15 firefighters in five trucks and a hazardous materials unit to the scene.
The 2-inch pipe containing synthetic natural gas broke when it was accidentally struck by a private contractor’s crew working on water pipes for the Board of Water Supply.
Gas Company crews repaired the gas pipe by 11 a.m. and roads were opened a half-hour later.
The Fire Department considered evacuating the area, but teams monitoring the gas said it never reached a dangerous level.
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