Posted: October 17, 2007 14:35:20 PST
The City of Bellingham and Washington Department of Ecology last night sealed off an out-of-service sewer main along E. Sunset Drive. Gasoline from an as yet unknown source filled the two-block line with potentially explosive vapors. Firefighters used fire-fighting foam to lower vapor levels to a safe level so that Public Works Department crews could plug the old sewer with concrete.
Public works crews closed two westbound lanes of E. Sunset Dr. in the 1000 and 1200 blocks at 10 p.m., and the project took about three hours to complete. Monitoring will continue to ensure that vapors are not escaping the two-block sewer line. Ecology will continue efforts to determine the amount of gasoline, where it came from and how it entered the sewer line.
City public works crews first noticed a gasoline odor in the line on Thursday. Lab results Monday confirmed that gasoline is in the line.
The City and Ecology sealed the sewer to prevent vapors from rising to the surface and potentially finding an ignition source.
###
Media Contact:
Andy Day, Assistant Chief
Bellingham Fire Department
aday@cob.org
360 815-1589
