Gas and Electrical Line Accidentally Severed In East Massapequa

A private townhouse community in East Massapequa was swarmed by multiple fire emergency vehicles from both the Massapequa and South Farmingdale districts this morning in response to a ruptured gas pipe and severed electrical lines.

Nassau County fire marshal Martin Golden said a construction accident at the Cameo at Massapequa complex near Carmans Road caused all the commotion.

"A backhoe sliced through the gas line, and also through electrical cables," he said. "The damage is confined to that stuff, and it has to be repaired...the wires and the piping."

The massive response was the result of the potentially hazardous nature of the accident, according to Golden.

"It's dangerous," he said. "What comes out is a natural gas in a vapor form, so if it finds a source of ignition, it'll light off. If it's in a pocket of gas, it'll explode."

However, the emergency crews knew just what to do to avert a potential disaster.

"The fire department put a line out to dissipate the vapors, to help them to lift," Golden said. "Then, when National Grid got here and shut the gas off, it was all over. Plus, they've got a nice breeze coming right down the road. It's all over but the clean-up."

But the incident threw a scare those who live in the complex.

"I was lying in bed, and there was a loud pop...you could tell something happened," said Cameo resident Holly Lapiana. "The lights are still on, but the TV isn't on, and the telephone isn't working either."

The backhoe operator, who declined to be named, said that the lines laid through the ground at Cameo at Massapequa weren't buried at the proper depth when it was built 50 years ago .

"As you can see, [the pipe] is only 18 inches deep," he said. "It should be at least three feet, or at least have a blanket of caution tape to show that it's only 18 inches. It's nowhere near deep enough."

"It was just an honest mistake." the backhoe operator added.