GYPSUM, Colo. (CBS4)- A fatal home explosion in Gypsum, caused by a natural gas line that was ruptured during a drilling operation for a fiber optics project, was not the first time the Comcast contractor hit a line. While investigators initially believed a line was struck days before the Sept. 17 explosion, Black Hills Energy said this turned out to be incorrect.
(credit: CBS viewer)
CBS4 confirmed a line was struck during the same fiber optics operation during the summer.
A family in the adjacent neighborhood said they were evacuated from their home in July, when the contracting company, SNEFCO, hit a gas line.
“The fire department arrived, and the guy came to the door and said you need to leave, you need to evacuate and do it now,” said Eric Johnson.
Eric and Mindy Johnson live in the neighborhood surrounding the Gypsum Creek Golf Course and said they could smell natural gas.
“You know the guy that hit the line said he had never hit a line before, but the bottom line is, within in a seven, eight-week window here, we’ve had two lines hit and an explosion, and a house blown up and destroyed, and a life lost,” said Eric.
(credit: CBS)
While the neighborhoods where the lines were hit are separate, the boring operation was for the same fiber optics project.
“You know, fiber optic for the town could add some value to our city and our properties and so forth, but at what expense?” asked Eric.
The Johnson’s home was the only one evacuated during the July incident and on Thursday, SNEFCO released a statement confirming what took place.
A gas line ruptured on July 17, 2020 in the vicinity of S. Legend Drive because drilling operations caused an adjacent subsurface rock to shift in such a way that it damaged a poly gas line. 911 was immediately called, the fire department promptly responded and the gas line was fully repaired within three (3) hours. The S. Legend Drive incident is entirely unrelated to the more recent Springfield Street incident.
Initially, the Johnsons were upset about the damage done to their driveway. As of Thursday, it still needed repairs.
“You see these cracks here in the driveway because there’s not any support here,” Eric said as he pointed to the area the company had to dig into to repair the damaged line.
But the Johnsons say after Sept. 17, the driveway isn’t their biggest concern. Mindy saw the aftermath of the home explosion from her driveway.
“I saw the smoke plume shortly after it happened… my first reaction was just to begin praying,” said Mindy.
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She had no idea at the time a life had been lost, but when the couple heard what happened and discovered it was due to a ruptured gas line, they were in shock.
“We both kind of just looked at each other and said, ‘You know by God’s grace, here we sit this evening.’ You know, six, seven, eight weeks ago we had the same exact leak, it could’ve had the same exact end result,” said Eric.
He isn’t sure how the company hit the gas line.
(credit: CBS)
CBS4 contacted Black Hills Energy to ask if the lines were properly marked before SNEFCO began digging, but due to the ongoing investigation, it couldn’t comment.
Black Hills Energy released the statement below on Sept. 17, but said beyond that, it could not comment.
Black Hills Energy responded to a report of a damaged gas line in in the Chatfield Corners neighborhood this afternoon. Technicians arrived on scene to a suspected natural gas incident and immediately activated our emergency response plan.
“Our highly trained technicians are working cooperatively with first responders to assess the scene and have secured the natural gas system serving the location,” Vance Crocker, Vice President of Colorado Operations. “The safety of our customers, employees and communities is our highest priority.”
A thorough investigation will be conducted, and Black Hills Energy will work with all appropriate agencies to determine the cause of this incident.
At this time:
- Natural gas service is shut off to the neighborhood of Chatfield Corners and as a safety precaution, the local fire department has evacuated nearby residents.
- Black Hills Energy is in the immediate area continuously testing and monitoring the system for leaks.
- As we continue to address the situation, Fire Officials have designated the Gypsum Rec Centers as an evacuation location.
- Crews are working to restore natural gas service to customers in the affected area.
“We appreciate the cooperation and understanding of our customers as we work to restore service in the area as quickly and safely as possible” Vance Crocker, Vice President of Colorado Operations.
Customers can also obtain information on our website at www.blackhillsenergy.com, on Twitter at @bhenergy or our Facebook page at facebook.com/blackhillsenergy, or by calling our customer service center at 888-890-5554.
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October 04, 2020 at 02:11AM
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