The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

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  • C.L. Garvin

    gas
October 14, 2008

Businesses evacuated after gas leak

By Fred Pace

Several buildings in the Raleigh County Memorial Airport Industrial Park near Philpott Lane in Beaver were evacuated Tuesday after a natural gas main was ruptured by a utility company working in the area.

“A utility worker digging behind one of the buildings here with a backhoe struck a 1-inch main line, causing a high-pressure gas leak,” said Larry Rice, chief of the Beaver Volunteer Fire Department. “It was ripped in half.”

Rice said the evacuation was a precautionary measure.

“You don’t want to take any chances when there’s a gas leak of this nature,” he said.

Rice said Mountaineer Gas was called to the scene to repair the line.

“An out-of-state utility company, Pike Electric, accidentally hit one of our gas lines,” said a spokesperson for Mountaineer Gas. “We were able to repair the line quickly.”

The leak occurred at approximately 11:30 a.m., Rice added.

The Raleigh County Sheriff’s Department was also called to the scene to help with motor vehicle traffic.

— E-mail: fpace@register-herald.com

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