Twenty five businesses in downtown Hood River were
evacuated for almost an hour on Monday after construction crews severed a
NW Natural gas line.
The incident occurred about 3:30 p.m. and noxious fumes
poured into buildings between Third and Fifth streets. The Hood River Fire
Department was immediately called to the scene and directed City Police
and County Sheriff’s Deputies to make sure that retail outlets were
unoccupied.
“The wind can blow the gas away outdoors but, because
this gas is highly flammable, we wanted everyone out of any enclosed space
where the air is stagnant,” said Asst. Fire Chief Devon Wells.
The rotten-egg smell of natural gas permeated the air
and police cordoned off the downtown blocks to traffic.
Neal Rubbelke, a pipe fitter for NW Natural and Aaron
Westfall, a crew leader, arrived at the site within minutes after being
alerted about the problem. The two men had been working along Post Canyon
Road so their response time was much less than if they had been dispatched
from The Dalles office.
Rubbelke was assisted by Westfall in donning protective
gear, complete with respiratory apparatus, before entering the hole near
the intersection of Oak and Fourth. He quickly clamped off the broken
1-inch line and the 45 minute crisis was over.
“This incident was unfortunate but it showed that we
have a good communication plan in place that kept everyone safe. I commend
everyone that was involved,” said Bob Francis, city manager.
The gas line was cut by a backhoe while Kerr
Construction crews worked to replace aging water and sewer lines.
The two-block Urban Renewal project also includes the
undergrounding of utilities on Fourth Street between Oak and State
streets. Although the pavement has all been removed, the sidewalks to the
businesses remain open. Free parking is also available to customers in the
city lot at Fourth and Cascade.
The $1.2 million project is scheduled to be completed
by mid-May, the start of the tourist season and the busiest time of year
for affected businesses.
Once the street improvements have been made, new
sidewalks will be poured and ornamental trees planted.
The Urban Renewal work taking place on Oak between Third and Fifth is
the final phase of downtown improvements that began in the late 1990s.
Property owners agreed in a special levy to pay an additional yearly tax
of 62 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation for upgrades, a total amount
of about $750,000 a year.
