MILL CREEK, Wash. — According to Puget Sound Energy a third party working on underground utilities damaged a PSE gas line. Natural gas spewed from the damaged gas line for more than 4 hours before crews could cap the leak.
The volatile situation had fire fighters evacuating businesses in the area. They also shut down 164th St. SE at Bothell Everett Highway to all traffic while crews worked to fix the gas line.
Employees and customers at local businesses could smell the gas long before they were evacuated. Anthony Berry was at the grand opening of Mod Pizza when he was evacuated.
"The main thing that scared me was I had my kids with me and they started coughing, that's how I noticed because I know they aren't sick," said Berry.
The restaurant had to postpone the grand opening until Thursday.
When Greg Ayala, the manager of the Qdoba Restaurant, got outside he could see the leak. "Looking at it you could definitely see the vapors coming up from where they were working,” said Ayala who was forced to shut down the restaurant for the night. Qdoba, Mod Pizza, McDonalds and Starbucks, were all forced to close. They all rely on natural gas hot water heaters. A restaurant cannot be open without hot water.
The subcontractor working to fix the broken plastic pipe expected to complete the job early Thursday morning. The businesses forced to close on Wednesday, planned to re-open on Thursday.
PSE will investigate how the third party contractors damaged the line. Depending on the outcome of that investigation, they'll determine who has to pay for the repair.
KIRO
