Laramie Gas Line Hit: UW Dormitory Construction Site Incident
Laramie Fire Department firefighters were called out on Wednesday morning after a gas line was hit at the intersection of 15th and Willett.
According to Kevin Lam, C Shift Commander and Operation Division Chief with the fire department, the first fire turck arrived on the scene at 11:16 a.m.
Line Was In Dormittory Construction Area
The area where the line was hit is in the area of the UW Dormitory Construction Site, as an excavator had hit a gas line in the middle of the intersection. As more firefighters arrived on the scene the decision was made to evacuate structures on both sides of 15th Street.
That incuded both new dormitory buildings, 2 Fraternity homes on Fraternity row (most immediate to 15th St), UW Lab School, UW Service Building, UW Business College, and McWhinnie Hall were evacuated as a precaution.
University of Wyoming and Laramie Police officers controlled the perimeter amnd evacuated most of the remote buildings at the site. The university used a digital alert platorm to let students and faculty know what was happening.
Black Hills Energy was on the scene by 11:45 a.m. They were ablde to stop gas flow on a 2 inch service line that fed the dormitories, and the flow was stopped shortly before 1 p.m.
Once the flow of gas was stopped the buildings in the area were checked for gas accumulation. When no such hazards were found, ''control of the site was returned to Black Hills Energy, JE Dunn Construction, and University of Wyoming Planning and Construction supervisors. Evacuated buildings were returned to UW control and reoccupied by University of Wyoming Police'' according to the release.
Lam says Laramie Fire Department terminated command at 13:34. No fire broke out and no inuries were reported.
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