75 NW Natural employees at gas leak near Lacamas Lake

A large contingent of NW Natural employees Wednesday night was at the scene of a natural-gas pipe leak near the west end of Lacamas Lake in the Camas area.

The leak was caused by a construction worker who bored into a 4-inch distribution pipe that afternoon near Lake Road and Northwest Jackson Street, just north of Skyridge Middle School, officials said.

As of 6:45 p.m. Wednesday, several hours after the pipe break, no one had been reported injured or sickened by the gas, said Battalion Chief Larry Larimer with the Camas Fire Department.

But with crews’ gas detectors showing dangerous levels of the gas earlier, about 3:30 p.m., fire crews, police and public works employees blocked off street access to the area for safety reasons — and called for gas company crews to deal with the problem.

As of about 8 p.m. Wednesday, about 75 NW Natural employees, called to the scene from all around the Portland metro area, were at the scene.

A short section of Lake Road between Jackson and Parker streets remained blocked.

About 330 homes were affected, company officials said.

Crews closed valves on both sides of the leak shortly after 5 p.m.

Repair crews were hoping to fix the damaged pipe by 11 p.m. Wednesday.

As soon as that was accomplished, 50 of the company’s technicians were scheduled to go door-to-door to homes in the area of the Forest Hills subdivision. Some employees planned on staying on scene until 2 a.m. Thursday.

If someone answered the door, the technicians would check their gas-using fireplaces, stoves and other appliances to see if their pilot lights were burning, said Valerie White, a spokeswoman for NW Natural.

If gas pressure is restored to a home and a pilot light is not burning, that could allow the potentially dangerous gas to fill the home, White said.

Appliances typically have automatic shut-off valves to stop gas from leaking in that event, but it’s necessary to make sure those are working, White said.

In cases where the gas company technicians went to a home and no one answered the door, the technicians shut off the gas at the home’s meter.

Those people can call 800-422-4012-9 to have their service restored.

More gas company crews will return to the area early Thursday morning to visit homes and relight pilot lights, said spokeswoman Jenna Cooper-Gross.

CALL 811 BEFORE DIGGING.

Contractors and homeowners who plan to dig are supposed to call 811, two business days before digging, and arrange for technicians to come to the scene. The technicians can find and mark underground lines, cables and pipes to avoid such problems, Cooper-Gross said.

In the early stages of the situation, three homes and one motor home were evacuated, Larimer said.

Besides the evacuated homes, crews went to more nearby homes where residents could safely stay inside. They were advised to shut off air-conditioning units and close other areas where outside air and leaking gas could come inside.

Some motorists became irritated with the road blockages, not realizing the potential danger, Larimer said.