Ruptured Gas Line Repaired

BESSEMER, MI - Wednesday, June 24, 2009 - What started as a roar Tuesday morning in Bessemer Township has now been reduced to a mere whisper as the repair crews work to replace a section of natural gas pipeline which ruptured around 11:24 AM yesterday. The broken 16 inch gas line owned by Northern Natural Gas had blown out a section of pipeline around 40 feet in length which ran through wooded terrain North of the City of Bessemer. No injuries, property damage or any fire was reported, but the loud roar of the gas leak could be easily be heard for a few miles by local residents. For public safety, emergency personnel from local law enforcement and fire departments evacuated the area around the leak for a half mile radius, but by nightfall, repair crews had reduced the leak enough that area residents were allowed to return home around 10:00 PM last night.

During the leak, the only area that lost gas service during the incident, were residences in the Ramsay area, but as of this morning, gas service has been restored by the use of Natural Gas Bottle Trucks which are now feeding gas supplies directly to the Ramsay gas substation on Prospect Drive. Once this supply bypass was in place, crews from Excel Energy and Northern Natural Gas started assisting local residents in getting service back up and running by relighting pilot lights etc. where needed.

This morning also saw repair crews working on setting up bottle trucks and bypass lines in the North Moore Road area which will be needed until the main break in the pipeline is repaired. Gas company repair crews from Northern Natural Gas and Excel Energy are involved in the repair operations which brought in crews and equipment from several states. It is reported to Gogebic County Emergency Services personnel that the major repairs to the pipeline rupture will begin this afternoon and may take a few days to complete at which time the pipeline is expected to return to normal use.

Due to small amounts of gas still leaking at the rupture site, the public is not being permitted into the area at this time due to safety concerns while repairs are ongoing. In speaking with gas company personnel, it was learned it may take some time before the cause of the rupture is determined. The section of broken pipe will be removed from the scene and extensive testing will be done to try and determine why the pipe had failed at the rupture site.

The Gogebic County Office of Emergency Management would again like to thank all involved who have responded quickly and professionally to what could have been a serious risk to the local community.

Bruce Davey, Gogebic County Emergency Services Public Information Coordinator

(Photos by Bruce Davey)