Stores evacuated for natural gas leak
Stores evacuated for natural gas leak
MOSES LAKE - Firefighters and law enforcement worked to avoid an explosive situation Thursday morning.
A Honda CRV driven by Nami Takagi, 38, of Moses Lake, collided with a Honda Civic as she was allegedly making a right-hand turn behind Blockbuster Video, Police Capt. Jim Jenkins said. The collision caused her vehicle to veer into the gas main attached to Blockbuster video on North Stratford Road. No injuries were reported.
"It was an explosive mixture," Moses Lake Fire Capt. Phil Walker said.
The vehicle struck the gas main located on the side of the building causing natural gas to spew into the businesses, he said.
The situation was reported by Blockbuster Video Shift Leader Christopher Williams at approximately 10:40 a.m.
After hearing a noise at the side of the store, he sent an employee outside to investigate while he was helping a customer.
"We heard a loud bang on the wall," Williams said. "I could smell the gas instantly."
His initial instinct was to clear everyone out of the building.
The Moses Lake Fire Department, Grant County Fire District No. 5, Moses Lake Police Department, Grant County Sheriff's Department, Cascade Natural Gas Corp., Grant County Public Utility District and city employees responded to the call.
The fire department and the gas company worked to shut the gas off while law enforcement cleared the surrounding area.
Blockbuster Video, Food Pavilion, Wal-Mart, RadioShack, McDonald's and Quizno's Subs were among the businesses evacuated. People needed to be cleared out in case someone did something dangerous such as light a cigarette, Fire Department Deputy Chief Corbin Moberg said.
Law enforcement blocked off all entrances to a strip mall to the north and directed traffic on North Stratford Road.
"The building is just filled with gas," Assistant Fire Chief Brett Bastian said as firefighters and the Grant County PUD worked to shut off the gas.
All buildings connected to Blockbuster Video filled up with gas too, he said.
A hole was dug in the ground to reach the main gas line, Walker said. The line had to be pinched to block 95 percent of the gas flow, he said.
The crew had to stop as much of the gas flow as they could because the CRV was blocking the shut off area, Bastian said. They were nervous about moving the vehicle to turn the gas off because it could have caused a spark leading to ignition of the natural gas, he said. The gas company plugged the remainder of the leak once the CRV was removed.
The gas needed to be ventilated out of the buildings by opening doors, but as employees left, some left their buildings locked.
Unfortunately not all business owners could be contacted and the fire department needed to use force to get inside, Moses Lake Police Department Operations Capt. Dave Ruffin said. A glass door to Blockbuster Video was busted out to ventilate the building, he added.
A large industrial fan was used to help ventilate the gas out of the buildings.
The businesses were turned back over to the occupants at about 1:30 p.m., Walker said.
The groups coordinated together to halt a potentially hazardous situation initially caused by a car accident, he said.
Takagi is not going to be cited for the accident and damage to Blockbuster, according to Ruffin. The accident occurred on private property and there was no criminal violation, Ruffin added. Determining liability and responsibility for damages should be handled by the insurance companies.
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