Three Homes Evacuated
Gas line hit, firefighters standby until Nicor secures line on Mayfair Road near Carlyle Place in the Stonegate neighborhood in Arlington Heights (SUBSCRIBE to Cardinal Emergencies on YouTube).
Police and firefighter/paramedics from Arlington Heights responded about 10:41 a.m. Monday, October 26, 2020 to a report of a natural gas leak in the block of 1300 East Mayfair Road in Arlington Heights.
Contractors installing a fiber optic cable underground along the parkway on the north side of Mayfair Road struck and ruptured a gas line just east of Carlyle Place, then called 9-1-1. One worker came to the door to inform the residents in the house closest to the damaged line that they hit the line. They said they would get back to the residents, but the residents left the house on their own. A strong odor of natural gas (mercaptan odor additive) was carried by northwest winds toward neighbors south of the scene. Around the time of dispatch, Northwest Central Dispatch System 9-1-1 center reported the wind was from the Northwest at 7 MPH.
Tower 1’s crew, first on the scene, reported workers on the scene and that they were beginning their investigation of the incident.
Firefighters initially evacuated residents in three houses near the leak. Other residents were asked to stay in their houses.
Firefighters determined the excavating equipment possibly hit the 2-inch main because the only line visible in the hole was the 2-inch line running parallel to Mayfair Road.
Firefighters prepared their hose lines in case a fog spray was needed if there was ignition. One engine company crew engaged a hydrant. Mayfair Road and Carlyle Place were blocked to traffic in the area.
Nicor arrived on the scene by 11:07 a.m. and the leak was secured by about 11:32 a.m.
Nicor worked a few more hours to repair the line.
One homeowner described talking to personnel that were doing utilities markings on his property a couple of weeks ago, and the workers gave him a phone number to a company office managing the job. The personnel at the office would not tell the homeowner who was planning to excavate on his property.
Apparently, the excavating was being done for Verizon Wireless 5G upgrades in the area. The fiber optic line apparently will head east on Mayfair Road and turn north on Windsor Drive and make a connection to a junction box on the northeast corner of Kensington Road and Windsor Drive.
The information in this article is an early report published before any summary information was confirmed or released by police or fire authorities.
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