Gas Line Break Sparks Fire At North Austin Construction Site

AUSTIN, TEXAS — For the third time is as many days on Friday, a work crew accidentally struck a gas line as a construction site in Austin — this time causing the natural gas to ignite into flames at a work site in North Austin.

Austin firefighters and and a hazardous materials (hazmat) task force responded to 1801 Stamford Lane early Friday afternoon amid reports of a ruptured gas line. Upon their arrival, firefighters saw that escaping gas from the ruptured line had ignited, as illustrated by photos posted on Twitter.

Firefighters acted quickly to mitigate the flames, noting that no adjacent structures were in danger of catching on fire given their efforts. No injuries were reported.

The quick work of firefighters prevented a full-fledged conflagration. But the latest incident spotlights the increasing incidences of inadvertently ruptured gas lines in a city experiencing astonishingly brisk growth. The influx of dozens of new residents each day — lured to the city by high-paying jobs, particularly in the high tech industry — has sparked something of a construction boom for housing developments to accommodate the newly arrived throngs.

But this frenzied construction pace has given rise to theories the brisk development may be leading to more such accidents at work sites. This week alone, three gas lines (including the one on Stamford Lane) have been inadvertently struck by contractors working on tight construction deadlines. The two others:

• Late Thursday morning, fire crews responded to 6605 Felix Avenue at Vargas Road where a contractor crew inadvertently struck a four-inch gas line at around 11 a.m., officials said. The gas line break prompted the evacuation of eight residents at three houses adjacent to the gas line rupture, fire officials said. Consequently, Felix Avenue was shut down between Vargas Road and Richardson Lane along with Montopolis Drive until the situation is mitigated, fire officials said.
• The day before on Wednesday afternoon, a gas line was ruptured at the Post West Austin apartment complex on 4316 Bull Creek Rd. at around 3 p.m., according to Austin Fire Department officials. Well into the evening, Bull Creek Road remain closed between 42nd and 44th streets as a result of the break even as residents were allowed back into their homes by late afternoon after the line was clamped.

Prior to the three consecutive days of ruptured gas lines, others incidents have been reported in recent months:

• In April, a two-inch gas line was struck and starting leaking gas at a construction site at 4517 Triangle Ave., prompting evacuations of residents living in and adjacent building. The rupture occurred in a part of the city known as The Triangle — something of a ground zero of gentrification as developers rush to build luxury housing for an influx of new residents lured to the strong economy. The 22-acre urban complex north of the UT-Austin campus is located is located where Guadalupe Street and Lamar Blvd.
• Less than two weeks later in East Austin, Austin Fire Department crews were joined by members of a Hazmat task force at the gas leak that occurred just before 2 p.m. along the 6600 block of Ed Bluestein Boulevard near Loyola Lane. Texas Gas Service utility officials said a contractor's crew inadvertently struck and damaged a pipe six inches in diameter during digging at the site. The rupture prompted closure of Loyola Lane from Millrace Drive to Ed Bluestein Boulevard. Loyola Lane was reopened shortly before 9 p.m. on a Saturday, utility officials said. Austin fire officials said no evacuations were necessary during the repair work.
• In February 2017, utility crews rushed to a work site toward repairing a ruptured gas line struck in East Austin, prompting the blocking off of several city blocks. The affected area on Comal Street prompted utility crews to close the artery from 4th to 7th streets as repairs were made made. Residents living at The Arnold Apartments at 1621 E. 6th St. were forced to leave their homes to avoid inhaling the fumes.The rupture occurred when a construction crew hit a four-inch gas line, officials said at the time.
• In July 2016, traffic delays of up to five hours occurred along Interstate 35 between William Cannon and Stassney Lane after work crews struck a gas line there. A spokeswoman for Texas Gas Service told Patch at the time that a contractor working in the area had accidentally struck a natural gas line at the site.

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