Albany Gas Leak Prompts Evacuation

An accidental gas line strike during fiber optic construction Monday evening, June 29, led to the precautionary evacuation of several Albany homes after elevated gas levels were detected in the city’s sewer system.

According to Albany Volunteer Fire Department Chief Joel Viertel, the incident began around 5:45 p.m. when a contractor installing fiber optic lines struck a gas line. Firefighters responded to the scene, confirmed there was no immediate danger to nearby residents and remained on site until Atmos Energy crews arrived to make repairs.

Later that evening, around 9:30 p.m., firefighters were called back after Atmos crews detected hazardous concentrations of natural gas in nearby manholes while repairing the damaged line.

“We were getting really high levels of natural gas in the manholes,” Vier­tel said. “At one point they were reading up to 80 percent.”

As a precaution, firefighters evacuated homes in an area generally bounded by Pecan and Walnut streets, extending north to Third Street and including the block immediately south of Fourth Street. Approximately eight firefighters responded to assist with the evacuation.

Although the gas was confined to the sewer system and was not believed to be entering homes because of plumbing traps, Viertel said the department chose to evacuate residents until the situation could be stabilized.

Residents who needed a place to stay were taken to the Albany Fire Station, while others stayed with family or friends. Within 30 to 45 minutes, Atmos crews had reduced gas readings from about 80 percent to approximately 7 percent, allowing residents to safely return home. Firefighters cleared the scene shortly before 1 a.m. Tuesday morning.

While he couldn’t say it had never happened, Viertel said he cannot recall the Albany Volunteer Fire Department ever having to evacuate residents from their homes during an emergency in Albany.