Just before noon today crews installing fiber optic line hit a four inch gas line while digging a test hole with a back hoe. The break was on Fairgrounds road and Gordon Creek Road behind Castleview Hospital.
The workers notified Questar gas who called the Price City Fire Department. Both Questar and the Fire Department arrived on scene within minutes.
Price Fire Chief Paul Bedont stated that it all ended well. The lines were repaired and no one was injured. He also said no evacuations needed to take place because natural gas is lighter than air and with the hot day, combined with a good breeze, the gas rose and dissipated quickly. Also no one was without natural gas while the repair took place because the areas is served by lines coming in from two directions.
Bedont explained that both natural gas and propane gas are mixed with a odorant called mercaptan that gives the odorless gasses a smell. This serves as a warning if the gas is present.
Propane and mercaptan are heavier than air and usually stay together in a gas leak. If you smell the odor, the propane gas is usually still there. With natural gas it is not unusual for the natural gas to rise while the odorant separates and stays close to the ground.
People may think there is gas present, when in fact it has already dissipated. It is still the right thing to do to call 911 if the odor is present.