Struck NE Bend gas line sealed, Third Street reopens

(Update: New video: company that cut line says locate lines were ‘almost invisible’)

A construction crew struck and ruptured a large natural gas pipeline in northeast Bend on Tuesday morning, prompting closure of Third Street and several side streets for several hours, as well as the evacuation of several nearby businesses, including day cares, and warnings to others across several blocks to shelter in place.

Bend Fire Battalion Chief Dave Howe said the crew from High Desert Utilities of Bend struck the 4-inch gas line shortly before 10 a.m. near an alley behind the Baskin-Robbins on the east side of Third Street.

Howe said the main gas line was severed completely by a rock saw, with the gas putting up a roar as it escaped. Cascade Natural Gas crews dug up the broken line on either end and installed valves to seal them, and the gas stopped escaping around 1 p.m.

The fire official said Cascade Natural Gas would check the nearby buildings for gas levels before power is restored, and then go to each building to restart the pilot lights.

Power had been turned off to the immediate area to avoid any possible ignition, Howe said.

All but one northbound lane of Third Street was reopened by 2:15 p.m. and side streets also had reopened.

Cascade Natural Gas spokesman Mark Hanson said the line break and shutdown of the gas left eight customers without service. He said around 1:30 p.m. that “crews will not make repairs to the pipeline and then restore service to the eight customers, which could take a couple of hours.”

One person who called dispatchers moments after the line was hit said the gas was “pouring out like a jet,” and the roar could be heard in the area until the line was sealed.

Bend Fire and Rescue sent a tweet minutes after the report, urging people to avoid the area.

Third Street was closed between Olney and Greenwood avenues as police and fire officials awaited repair crews. Police were on scene rerouting traffic and seeking assistance from ODOT and Bend Public works in establishing a detour.

In addition, Greenwood traffic wanting to turn north onto Highway 20 was instead being detoured south to Reed Market Road and the Bend Parkway.

Businesses on the east side of Third Street in the immediate area were evacuated, while those between Greenwood and Olney avenues and between Third and Fifth streets were being advised to shelter in place, as roads in the area were closed.

Deschutes County 911 said it was sending an Emergency Phone Network message to people in that area, urging them to not go outside, avoid the use of any open flames and refrain from operating vehicles or machinery.

Police Lt. Jason Maniscalco said the construction crew was working in an alley between a Shell gas station and Baskin-Robbins. He confirmed the estimated four-hour repair time.

Police also shut down stretches of Second, Third and Fourth streets between Greenwood and Marshall avenues and asked everyone to avoid the area.

Children at two area preschools were taken immediately to another preschool out of the area, while a third called parents to come pick their children up.

Hanson said a contractor hit the 4-inch gas main with a rock saw.

“We are working on a plan to get the gas shut down while disrupting service to as few customers as possible,” Hanson said.

High Desert Utilities owner Clayton McLain told NewsChannel 21 the company was at work upgrading communications services in the area at the time of the incident.

“All of the locates were legal, permits were legal,” he said. “There were fresh ‘locates’ (lines) by some of the utilities in the area and locates that were nearly invisible from others.”

McLain said that as is often the case, his company called in a second request for locate lines several days ago, when they were getting started on the work, in an area marked off with white paint.

“A lot of time, it takes 2-3 weeks to get permits back,” he said. “We often have to call back in, because the paint will have washed away.”

“Everybody was located with fresh paint, but it looks like Cascade Gas had not returned with the locates. Theirs was almost invisible,” he said.

Asked about that, the gas company spokesman said, “We aren’t going to speculate. We plan to look into the entire incident further.”