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Gas line mishap prompts evacuation PDF Print E-mail
County News
Wednesday, 06 October 2010 18:00
By Fallan Patterson
Staff Writer
A gas leak in downtown St. Cloud Tuesday morning closed businesses, evacuated homes and shut down a construction site for more than three hours while crews fixed the severed pipe.
Utilities crews were working on the Connecticut Avenue Sewer Line Rehabilitation Project inside the fence of the old power plant on Connecticut Avenue between 9th and 10th streets when workers sawed into a 4-inch galvanized pipe. St. Cloud Fire Rescue responded to the emergency call at 9:40 a.m.
The ongoing investigation has yet to determine if the pipe was marked as an active utility line before excavation work began.
Due to the wind direction, an evacuation order was issued before 10 a.m. to 15 homes and five businesses south of 9th to 11th streets and from Minnesota to Missouri avenues.
“It was a good thing we had wind because had it been 2 a.m. with little to no wind, (the gas) would've stuck to the ground,” Fire Chief Bill Johnston said.
Central Florida Gas came from Winter Haven to stop the leak at about 11:30 a.m.
Jim and Brenda Chaney, who own the Chicken Shack and Rib Shack restaurants on 10th Street, left food on the stove and in smokers in the Chicken Shack due to the evacuation. The leak caused them to close the Chicken Shack for lunch and possibly lose food they had still sitting out at 1 p.m. Tuesday.
“We had to salvage the (Rib Shack's prepared food) real quick,” Jim Chaney said. “I lost a day but it’s no big deal. I understand accidents happen. I'm just glad no one got hurt.”
As of 1 p.m. Tuesday, the Chaneys, who opened the restaurants four years ago, had not yet checked the Chicken Shack to see what food could be saved and if the gas to the business had been restored because they were both working in the Rib Shack. Brenda Chaney estimated they lost several hundreds of dollars in product and sales from being closed during lunch.
“It sure didn't help with the economy the way it is,” she said.
Cindy Davis, co-owner of 10th Street Produce on the corner of 10th Street and Connecticut Avenue, said due to the gas leak, the business had to send an employee home for the day and lost roughly $1,000 in revenue from local restaurants who purchase from them.
“They should've know those gas lines were there,” Davis said, “There's a saying, 'Call before you dig.'”
Chris Fasnacht, St. Cloud Public Services Operations deputy director, said the project began March 15 and is scheduled for completion in early November. His team was still investigating as of press time Wednesday morning.
 

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