Gas leak forces evacuation
Crew struck unmarked natural gas line during construction, shutting down school for hours
DANIEL ISLAND — Authorities on Monday repaired a ruptured natural gas line that interrupted summer school and summer camp programs at Bishop England High School for several hours.
The Post and Courier
Bishop England High School students and kids attending the City of Charleston Recreation Camp wait as SCE&G workers and Charleston Fire Department officials shut off a gas leak in front of the school Monday. Construction crews hit a gas line as they were laying sewer lines.
A construction crew installing a sewer line on school property struck the 2-inch-wide service line about 8:10 a.m., prompting the immediate evacuation of the school.
Patricia Freshwater, public affairs coordinator for SCE&G's parent company, SCANA, said the construction crew had called the 811 emergency dig line so the gas lines would be marked before digging. Unfortunately, Freshwater said, the line was not marked.
"It's an unfortunate situation when there is an unmarked line," she said. "It's not something we like to happen, but when it does happen, we try to respond as quickly and as safely as possible."
Principal David Held said a construction worker immediately ran into the school and informed officials about the leak. He said the students were evacuated to the baseball field.
The Berkeley County Emergency Preparedness Division called residents in the surrounding Etiwan Park subdivision and told them to stay inside until the leak could be fixed.
Officials cordoned off the area until workers identified the ruptured line by turning off multiple lines. Freshwater said natural gas was restored to the school and a nearby nursing home by about 1 p.m. No one else was affected, she said.
Reach Andy Paras at 937-5589 or aparas@postandcourier.com.
E-mail this story
Printer-friendly version
Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Notice about comments:Postandcourier.com is pleased to offer readers the enhanced ability to comment on stories. We expect our readers to engage in lively, yet civil discourse. Postandcourier.com does not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. Responsibility for the statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not postandcourier.com. If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click "report abuse" and we will review it for possible removal. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Use and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our website.
Users can now build user-to-user connections, follow friends' recent posts, add an avatar that fits their personality, and more. If you have posted here before you'll need to sign up again, or if you've never posted before, start now by signing up!
Full terms and conditions can be read here.