SEATTLE — A cherry picker struck a power line in Seattle’s Queen Anne neighborhood Wednesday morning, sparking an explosion and a natural gas fire that forced building evacuations and trapped a crane operator.
The incident occurred around 9 a.m. during a window installation project at a local apartment building.
Dozens of firefighters responded to the scene to contain the fire, which took several hours to extinguish as Puget Sound Energy crews worked to stabilize a ruptured gas line.
“When the vehicle, the lift itself, made contact with the power lines, it ignited the fuel line of the vehicle. That fire then spread to a natural gas line directly below on the sidewalk,” David Cuerpo of the Seattle Fire Department explained of how the fire started.
A sea of biodegradable foam was sprayed throughout the streets to prevent the natural gas fire from spreading to neighboring structures.
Residents in the area reported seeing flames shoot into the air shortly after the initial contact.
The operator of the lift was trapped for nearly three hours.
Firefighters were unable to reach the operator until Seattle City Light crews de-energized the high-voltage power lines. While the operator was not injured, the rescue required specialized units to manage the various hazards at the scene.
“On the fire side, we had our hazmat team for the natural gas leak,” Cuerpo said. “We have our rescue one team here for rescuing the operator on the lift. And then we have our energy response team because of the high voltage power lines that are involved.”
Westley McKane, an evacuated resident, was among those who fled the area with his pets.
McKane said the work crew maneuvering the lift that hit the power lines was there to install new windows in his building. He realized the severity of the situation while reporting the fire.
“There was a huge fire. So, I called 911. They sent people down here,” McKane said. “While I was on the phone with them, something exploded.”
McKane noted that the smell of natural gas was heavy inside nearby buildings and along the streets.
Other residents received warnings from their building management as the emergency unfolded.
Amelia, one of the neighbors who evacuated, said she received a text message from her building manager saying, “a boom lift or something clipped a power line.”
As the fire spread, Lauren Boni watched from a nearby vantage point.
Boni said she could see the fire on the ground and observed grass and bushes catching fire.
The risk of the fire spreading led others to evacuate immediately.
“When I heard there was a gas line and that’s when I said I think it’s time to leave,” said Ruby Gomez, who used crutches to leave the area.
Firefighters blanketed the streets and parked cars with a thick layer of fire-suppressant foam to keep the flames from reaching more natural gas. The white foam covered the neighborhood, creating a scene that residents compared to a heavy snowfall.
Fire officials stated that the foam is biodegradable and will break down naturally during the cleanup process.
Puget Sound Energy crews successfully shut off the gas leak just before 1:30 p.m on Wednesday. All but one impacted building had their gas restored by Wednesday afternoon.
Crews are expected to work overnight and into the morning to restore gas service to the affected buildings.
Although the cleanup is ongoing, the Seattle Fire Department has cleared residents to return to their homes.
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