Posted: October 11, 2007 12:22:17 PST
Public safety officials will close Sunset Drive between I-5 and Orleans Street Thursday night to investigate a flammable liquid that leaked into an inactive sewer pipe. Local and state officials are working together to establish the identity and source of the material, and say they believe the pipe is stable and poses little risk to motorists and residents of the area.
City staff are working to isolate and mitigate the effects of a flammable liquid in an inactive section of sewer pipe in the Sunset Square Mall area. The section of pipe of concern is located under Sunset Drive between James Street Road and Orleans Street. Repeated readings indicate the presence of a significant amount of flammable vapors only in that immediate area. Significantly lower readings have been measured in the sewer as far downstream as Ellis and State Streets.
In consultation with hazardous materials experts from the Fire Department and the state Department of Ecology, Public Works Operations and Safety personnel are developing a strategy to safely isolate, remove and dispose of the product. Closure of Sunset Drive between I-5 and Orleans Street is planned between 10 p.m. and midnight Thursday to allow for further investigation. Sunset Square will be accessible off of Orleans Street.
An Incident Command Post has been established in the Sunset Square parking lot. The amount of flammable product and how it entered the pipe is unknown at this time.
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Media Contact:
Andy Day, Assistant Chief
Bellingham Fire Department
aday@cob.org
360 815-1589
