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The investigation by Hannover, Pa. Gasleck continues on Tuesday

The investigation by Hannover, Pa. Gasleck continues on Tuesday

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The civil servants confirmed the cause of a large gas leak and an underground fire in the city center of Hanover after Tuesday morning.

On Tuesday morning, the deputy fire chief of Hannover Area Fire & Rescue, Joe Wysocki, confirmed that the underground electric fire, which was assumed that it melted a gas line nearby, was still examined and the cause remained undetermined at that time.

Firefighters were called for the first time around 3:15 p.m. in a alley behind the first block of the Baltimore Street in the city center of Hanover for a report on a report on an outdoor gas lick in which a caller had reported a smell of gas smell that came from tears on the street.

When the crews arrived at the scene, they put a black smoke from the asphalt of Exchange Place, a mentioned alley, said Tony Clousher, head of Hanover Area Fire & Rescue, during a press conference on Monday.

Soon afterwards, electricity went around the gas leak and a strong gas smell began to penetrate the area, said Clouse. During the incident, Met-ed reported that around 642 people had lost power in the area at the time of the incident.

Firefighters quickly evacuated the block around the leak, which led to the evacuation of around eight buildings and around 30 apartments, said Ted Czech, public information officer of the York County Office of Emergency Management.

The evacuations included an area of ​​the first block of the Baltimore Street, a small part of Broadway, the York Street and the East Walnut Street. The road closures included the Baltimore Street from the Square to Middle Street and the Walnut Street from Ruth Avenue to York Street.

The smell of gas became so sharp that evacuated their faces covered their T-shirts when they were evacuated by firefighters from the area who ran from door to door to remove a dense series of companies in the busy mixed use of business.

Most of the buildings in downtown Hanover consist of mixed use of what is called “taxpayers” buildings in the fire brigade – commercial properties on the first floor, with apartments on the upper floors.

Initially, more than a dozen people in Hanover's new public administration building in the 33 Frederick Street were evacuated, but most found other accommodations, said Clouse. Only two or three required the services in the building during the evacuation.

On Monday, Clousher said that the officials believed that an underground electric fire, which took place under the surface of the exchange place, burned through a gas line leading through the alley and led to the gas leak.

Since the leak was not in an apartment, but in the service lines that led to buildings, the Columbia gas crews together with Hannover Public Works crews had to work out to dig out an adjacent gas line that could then be jammed in order to contain the lick, said Clouse.

Wysocki successfully completed these efforts, which a gas line clamped away from the leak away from the leak away, said Wysocki.

If this campaign had not put the leaky gas, CloSher said, the crews would have had to carry out additional excavations to pinch additional lines in the area, which led to several hours of work.

After the secured leak, the crews made themselves with a high natural gas content that stayed in the cellars of the surrounding buildings, civil servants said.

In order to extinguish the gas, Wysocki said that firefighters used high -ranking ventilators to systematically delete the large buildings with mixed buildings to systematically take about two hours on Monday evening.

Around 8:50 p.m. on Monday, all firefighters were released from the scene, with Columbia remaining gas and meter crews to carry out repairs to the supply services in the alley.

“Evacuation, atmospheric monitoring, ventilation and securing of supply companies in one area of ​​this size is discouraging, but their respondents carried out professionally,” said the fire brigade in a statement.

Evacuations and services for those who were evacuated were coordinated between Hanover officials, including code enforcement and district manager Margie Lewis, and the director of the regional Emergency Management Agency, Jeffrey Waltman,.

During the period of several hours in which the incident and the evacuations took place, numerous district officers worked together with a command post that was set up at the Hanover Center.

According to officials, the crews of the public work of Hanover and the water department for the incoming supply crews marked.

The neighboring fire brigades by United Hook & Ladder, Irishhtown Volunteer Fire Company and Pleasant Hill Volunteer Fire Department helped Standby Crews to Hanover fire departments in the event of additional emergency calls and support for traffic control on site.

“We would also like to thank our community partners, the surrounding departments and the municipal leadership when this incident increased,” said Wysocki.

Wysocki noted during the incident.

1-800 board, a local real estate restoration company, donated a considerable amount of water to the crews when they worked in the hot sun for long hours.

In addition, the M&T Bank Building employees opened their doors for the crews on site so that the crews could use the bathroom of the building.

Debbie J's, a local salon on the 200 Block of the Carlisle Street, had also opened its doors to everyone who was driven out by the incident, welcomed the community in their salon for protection or bathroom and was open to the vacancies of the incident.

In addition, firefighters received several offers for food and other services, said Wysocki.

“We would like to thank all the community partners who have appeared when their firefighters and residents needed them,” said the officials in a statement on Tuesday.

Harrison Jones is the Hannover reporter for the evening sun. Contact him at hjones@gannett.com.

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