POUGHKEEPSIE – As city firefighters from all three stations were assembling on Church Street for a ceremony to honor a fallen firefighter, several firefighters had to break formation and answer a call for a dangerous natural gas leak.
A ceremony to dedicate both the east and westbound arterials in honor of fallen Poughkeepsie firefighter Tim Gunther on Monday afternoon was interrupted when firefighters from Engine 1 and Ladder 1 were dispatched to a call of a gas line that had been struck by a contractor for Central Hudson Gas & Electric. The remaining firefighters and elected officials continued with the dedication while the others raced across the city to 22 High Street to the emergency.
J. Mullen and Sons, a Saugerties-based excavating company was working in the vicinity of 22 High Street when a two-inch gas line was struck by an excavator. The natural gas immediately filled the air in the neighborhood surrounding the break. Specialized gas crews from Central Hudson were summoned to the scene at the same time firefighters were dispatched, minutes after 1 p.m. on Monday.
The contractor, hired by Central Hudson, has been working in several neighborhoods throughout the city to replace aging gas lines. A worker at the scene on Monday said that there were no indications that the ruptured gas line was in the area that the digging was being performed.
“It’s what we call a ‘phantom’ gas line,” said a worker. “More than likely, the line went to a house across the street that was torn down years ago.” Sources told Mid-Hudson News that it is a common problem in the city. “The line that served the structure was capped and abandoned when the house was demolished but the line is still attached to the gas main. If the line is broken open, gas will escape into the air until it can be shut off,” said the person, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The City of Poughkeepsie firefighters were on the scene for nearly three hours while the contractor and Central Hudson worked to eliminate the gas leak. The odor of natural gas was noticeable throughout the neighborhood, as far away as the Dutchess County Jail as workers made the repairs.
