Gas Line Rupture Shuts Down National Road, Forces Evacuations
Photo by Derek Redd Trending
WHEELING - A ruptured gas line along National Road shut down a section between Bethany Pike and Mount DeChantal Road completely for several hours Wednesday. It was a rupture that, according to Wheeling Fire Chief James Blazier, had the potential to be much more dire if not for quick and effective work by several organizations.
Crews worked into Wednesday night to repair the line, which kept the eastbound lanes of National Road closed in the area of TJ's Sports Garden and Taco Bell. The westbound lanes in that section were reopened by around 4 p.m.
According to Wheeling Fire Department spokesman Philip Stahl, a 911 call came in around 10:30 a.m. alerting emergency personnel about a gas odor in the Woodsdale area of National Road. Stahl said a construction crew installing a fiber optic line in the area hit a high-pressure, 10-inch gas main, causing the rupture.
The area is not just home to several businesses, including Perkins, Taco Bell, TJ's, Bob Evans and others, but three schools as well. The Linsly School, Wheeling Country Day School and Woodsdale Elementary all sit in that neighborhood.
Several of the businesses around the rupture were evacuated out of an abundance of caution, while Linsly and Wheeling Country Day students sheltered in place. By Wednesday afternoon, Kroger was open, but Taco Bell, Bob Evans, Perkins and the 19th Hole remained closed.
Those precautions were necessary, Blazier said, due to the type of gas line that ruptured.
"There was a lot of potential there because they hit a high-pressure, 10-inch line," Blazier said. "We had a lot of gas escaping under high pressure, which is the reason why (the evacuation) encompassed the wide area.
"So we were trying to eliminate ignition sources, shut down the roadways and keep it safe so we could get the gas shut off," he continued.
By the time emergency responders arrived and blocked off the area for Mountaineer Gas to get to work, it took about a half hour before the gas line was shut off, which officials said was pretty quick considering the magnitude of the issue.
After Mountaineer Gas shut off the leak, workers then began digging in the area of the pipe to see the extent of the damage and remedy the situation.
Blazier lauded a number of organizations for their quick work in getting the situation under control - the Wheeling Fire Department, Wheeling Police Department, Ohio County Emergency Management Agency, City of Wheeling Operations and Mountaineer Gas among them.
"Everybody worked together," he said. "We isolated the area, and it's a busy area and that's hard to do. There's a lot of traffic."
Firefighters directed traffic away from the area, using their fire engines to block intersections. A few firefighters could be seen knocking on the doors of some residents' houses near Perkins as well. Emergency responders also checked on the local schools and looked in every building and storm drain between Bethany Pike and the rupture.