Just as people were finishing their dinner on Saturday night, the residents of 20 homes in Dumasfield were evacuated by police and the fire department because of a gas leak in the subdivision.
Ten minutes after a 7 p.m. call to 911 about a car backing into a gas meter, sirens could be heard and flashing lights lit up the streets in the south side residential area, as emergency officials began to block off the roads and evacuate people from their homes near 92 Avenue and 102 Street.
Lac La Biche Fire Department Captain Shane Bair said at least four houses East of the leak and all the houses North towards Highway 36 were evacuated.
“It was a natural gas leak and the fumes are toxic. It could have been an explosive situation at the right level and mixture of oxygen and gas. We evacuated about 20 houses,” said Bair, who noted that if any of the homes had windows open, there could have been the potential for gas poisoning from the fumes similar to carbon monoxide.
Mable Parker lives next door to the house where the leak originated and when she and her visiting family heard the commotion, her son-in-law Jean Richard went outside to see what is was about and immediately knew they needed to get out of the house.
“We heard a loud hissing noise and we went outside to see what it was. I knew right away it was a gas leak and we needed to get out,” said Richard. “I ran back in and yelled to grab purses and jackets and get out.”
Fire officials say the incident occurred after a woman backed her vehicle into an icy driveway on 92 Ave. and hit a gas meter on the side of the home knocking it off completely just above the main valve. It was a lucky place to have hit it, said Bair.
“She knocked it off right above the valve that we used to turn it off. If she had knocked it off any lower we would have had to shut off the gas main for the whole street,” he said, adding that it would have taken a lot more time for the fumes to clear of out the air if that had been the situation.
The fire department was able to contain the threat by 7:50 p.m., a quick response that comes from practice and experience, noted Bair.
“We have had similar situations before and you learn from past experience,” he said. “I’m pretty happy with the response.”
The fire department made the necessary phone calls to RCMP and ambulance services before even arriving at the fire hall to suit up and arrive on scene with their four trucks, which helped in the swift response as well, Bair noted.
“We called in two ambulances just in case anyone was feeling lightheaded or dizzy and they could get checked out, and the RCMP were called on our way,” Bair said.
Additionally, the Hylo fire department responded to the call as well, but the Lac La Biche crew told them to stand down because the crisis was controlled and adverted in a short time and there was no threat of a fire.
The fire department opened all the windows and doors of the home where the meter was hit once the valve was shut off to help disperse the fumes inside. Lac La Biche County officials then proceeded to check out the house for remaining fumes.
Residents were let back into their homes by about 8:15 p.m. after municipal officials gave the all clear.
The woman who hit the meter refused to give comment.
Charges are not expected.
