Construction crews severed a natural gas line Wednesday morning during a trenching operation on 13th Street just south of Main Street in Philomath — a situation that involved the temporary evacuation of nearby homes, Philomath Fire and Rescue reported.
Firefighters were dispatched to the scene at 9:28 a.m. May 8 to find that construction workers had sheared a service line. Deputy Fire Chief Rich Saalsaa, public information officer, said that after conferring with NW Natural at the scene, it was determined that a hose line should be rolled out in case of a fire.
The construction zone is part of the Oregon Department of Transportation’s work on the Philomath Downtown Safety and Streetscape Improvements Project. The project is currently in a road rebuild phase, which involves below-surface infrastructure work.
The stretch of 13th where the incident occurred between Main and Applegate was already closed to traffic. The operation took about 30 minutes, Saalsaa said.
Philomath Fire and Rescue’s response included an engine crew of four and two chief officers.