Friday, January 1, 2010
On Tuesday evening the Township companies were dispatched to the 2200 block of Clearview Lane for an odor of gas called in by a PECO representative, little did we know the problem was much worse than imagined. The underground leak deposited high levels of gasoline vapors into some residents’ basements through faulty sewer traps and forced the evacuation of residents. The crews monitored the situation for over 24 hours with the help of other fire departments so that all the crews operating could rehab and rest after many hours on the scene. Thanks to all of the emergency personnel that assisted with the situation and remained on scene for hours.
From: The press release of the DELCO TIMES on 12/31/09.
”While the source has yet to be determined, the leak was either from a pipeline or from part of a storage tank in the area between Cherry Tree Road and Frazer Lane, Assistant Fire Marshal Sean Joyce said.
”Now that we have it isolated and we are not chasing the source as much, it is under control,” he said. “Obviously, we want to err on the side of caution because we are dealing with a petroleum product.”
“For traffic and everything else, this area will be shut down. We will let (residents) return once we continue to check the (lower explosive limit) levels,” Joyce said.
No gasoline had made it into the into the county’s sewer treatment plant, though sewer officials have been monitoring the situation closely, Joyce said.
“Most of the sewer traps in peoples’ home will keep this product out, like the sewer traps are designed to do,” Joyce said. “Some with weaker sewer traps, they’re getting higher levels of vapors in the basement.”
Joyce said the gasoline could have escaped from pipelines in the street because of the cold weather and leaked into the sewer system.
Joyce said depending on their age and depth in the ground, most pipes “do not have a good relationship with cold weather.”
“In any type of refinery situation, typically, all of your pipe fractures are when the weather goes from somewhat cold to extreme cold conditions,” he said.
Joyce said there had been no previous problems of this nature with the tank farm or pipelines. The tanks hold water, gasoline and various petroleum products, including crude oil.
Joyce encouraged residents to call 911 if they detected a gasoline odor in their homes.
“We will come out, we will test and we will take readings,” said Joyce.
