By George Barnes
Telegram & Gazette
Copyright 2007 Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
ATHOL, Mass. — A truck turning around in the driveway of a town sewer pumping station struck and damaged a propane fill pipe, forcing police and firefighters to close South Athol Road for two hours yesterday morning.
Police Lt. Kevin Heath said a box-style truck owned by Yale Electric Co. of Dorchester drove into the pump station's driveway to turn around. While backing up, the truck drove over the fill pipe, causing it to leak.
Fire Capt. Thomas Lozier, who was called in from his day off because Fire Chief James W. Wright and an ambulance crew were out of town helping the Erving Fire Department battle a blaze in a mill, said the first firefighters responding about 9:45 a.m. found a mist-like plume of propane rising about 15 feet into the air.
The fill pipe was attached to a 500-gallon inground tank used to store the highly explosive gas. The propane is used to run machinery in the pump station.
The pumping station is across the street from 936 South Athol Road near the intersection of White Pond Road. The road was shut down at White Pond Road and about a quarter-mile east, where traffic could be turned around in a factory parking lot.
Police Chief Timothy C. Anderson said police initially considered evacuating four houses nearby out of concern that an explosion could occur. Propane gas can spread quickly and can explode. Firefighters using a hose were able to suppress the propane plume and push it away from the road. They were then able to shut down three valves.
The pipe continued to leak, but closing the valves significantly reduced the amount of gas escaping from it.
As he watched firefighters try to close the valves, Capt. Lozier explained that propane stored in tanks is at sub-zero temperatures when it first comes out of a container. He said firefighters were being cautious because the reduction of the flow might have been from freezing around the pipe.
"It could still be leaking," he said.
The pipe was still leaking, although not very much. Propane mist could be seen rising to about two feet above the pipe.
Once they found the valves would not entirely shut off the leak, firefighters remained on the scene with hoses ready if needed to suppress the vapors until E. Osterman Propane of Northbridge arrived and made temporary repairs.
The road was reopened around 11:45 a.m.
