Natural gas rupture shuts down Bayboro

December 17, 2008 by pamliconews

Contractor cuts line, courthouse evacuated

#1: Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. A third party contractor working on the Hwy. 55 road-widening project inadvertently cuts a line owned by Piedmont Natural Gas, directly in front of The Bean coffee shop in downtown Bayboro. The 911 dispatch center, located mere yards away in the Pamlico County Law Enforcement Center receives numerous calls.

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#2: 9:37 a.m. David Spruill, foreground, the county’s Emergency Management Coordinator requests assistance from the Triangle and Grantsboro-Silverhill Volunteer Fire Departments. Roads in and around the line break are immediately closed and traffic redirected. “Fortunately, natural gas is lighter than air so much of it is dissipating,” reported Spruill.

#3: 9:50 a.m. County Manager Tim Buck, left, with County Commissioners Kenny Heath and Paul Delamar III order evacuation of the courthouse, which houses many county government departments. The once-per-quarter session of Superior Court is also disrupted. The odor of fumes is oppressive and the broken line continues to emit an unmistakable hiss as gas escapes.

#4: 10:00 a.m. Workers quickly exit the courthouse. As they run to cars, several employees use scarves to cover their mouths and noses. Except for emergency repairs crews and a few bystanders, Bayboro quickly becomes a ghost town.

Nearby First Citizens Bank and other businesses close.

#5: 10:10 a.m. A seven-man crew from Piedmont Natural Gas arrives. Many are wearing flame-retardant clothing under their navy blue coveralls, and at least one carries a detector to measure the amount of gas contained in the atmosphere. The crews work quickly to assess the damage, and attempt to pinpoint the closest cutoff valve -- believed to be underground 40 yards west of the break.

#6: 10:30 a.m. As a precaution to minimize any risk of explosion, customers of the coffee shop and others are not allowed to start their nearby vehicles. The line continues to emit an ominous hiss and a southwest wind pushes fumes toward the courthouse. In the immediate area, the smell of natural gas is oppressive.

#7 10:45 a.m. Coffee shop manager, LaQuita Knight, is seen here with customers Sean McKeon, left, and Jeff Swain. Unable to depart., the three became reluctant spectators to repair efforts.

#8: 11:00 a.m. Crews labor in a futile effort to find a cutoff valve. The line feeding the break was eventually crimped in a last-ditch effort to stop the flow of natural gas.

#9: 11:15 a.m. After fumes dissipate, workers return to the line break site to prepare the location for an immediate line repair, which will be supervised by a special crew dispatched from Piedmont Natural Gas.

#10: 11:20 a.m. Heavy equipment owned by Piedmont Natural Gas arrives to handle all repairs.

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