CASCADE – Work to repair a natural gas line near Cascade was underway Monday after it was ruptured last week.
Trio Lane off County Road F in the town of Mitchell was closed to through traffic on Nov. 17 as crews worked to repair the line. The incident, which the Sheboygan County Sheriff’s Office described as a “significant explosion,” occurred in the afternoon of Nov. 14.
TC Energy, which owns the pipeline, said the incident wasn’t an explosion, but instead, “the release of gas may have resulted in a temporary dust cloud.”
Public safety resources, including the Plymouth Police Department and more than a dozen community fire departments, responded to the area around 1 p.m. after receiving several 911 calls about an explosion. A 3-mile area of the site was evacuated.
Four people were treated for injuries and released, according to TC Energy. The sheriff’s department said it was aware of one individual, a crew member, who went to the hospital for injuries and was released that evening.
Cascade Fire Department Fire Chief Todd Triebensee said all injured individuals have returned home after sustaining non-life-threatening injuries ranging from concussions to breathing issues.
In a Nov. 15 statement, TC Energy said it’s working to repair the line and clean up debris that resulted from a third-party using heavy equipment while working on behalf of another company. The company said repairs could be done within the coming days.
The energy company said there may be a “minor restriction in gas flow” for some customers, but two lines in the area continue to deliver gas.
‘Scary and intimidating’: Wild West Studios office manager recalls evacuation after Cascade gas line rupture.
Jamie Harbison, office manager at Wild West Studios, Inc., at 111 Madison Ave. in Cascade, said she didn’t see any haze or feel the ground shake, as other people documented in photos and social media post, because she had music and a fan on.
But she was alerted by non-stop sirens going by, phone alerts and a couple of employees, who are volunteer firefighters with the Cascade Fire Department, rushing out of the building to respond.
Harbison said the building lost power around 2 p.m. and about 10 employees evacuated within minutes.
“It was scary and intimidating,” Harbison said.
She felt bad for employees who lived near the site, especially one who was worried about their dog and was trying to get to them.
Wild West Studios was among various buildings in the evacuation zone and among properties that had power temporarily turned off as a safety precaution.
Cascade residents and businesses were impacted by the sudden power outage.
Tim Blakeslee, utilities manager with Plymouth Utilities and city administrator for Plymouth, said the initial outage impacted about 850 properties.
Around 4 p.m. Nov. 14, Plymouth Utilities had restored power to customers, except to about 30 customers in the immediate area of the ruptured line.
He said one property was without power by late Friday, but a temporary line restored power Saturday morning, Nov. 15.
Various residents on social media worried about pets and loved ones who may have been affected by the evacuation and effects of the ruptured line.
Lynn Vollmar said he wasn’t home during the incident, but his stepdaughter quickly evacuated their house with their dogs. She felt the ground shake and saw the haze.
He said he’s never experienced an incident like Friday’s in the 18 years he’s lived in Cascade.
The sheriff’s department said Friday two homes sustained damages and were uninhabitable that night.
Triebensee said those homes were still uninhabitable as of Monday morning, Nov. 17, after they were hit by flying debris from the rupture, mainly rocks that broke windows and doors and left holes in the exterior.
Sheboygan County Sheriff’s Office Lt. James Gottsacker said the department didn’t find any criminal wrongdoing, so there is no further investigation into the incident.
Contact Alex Garner at 224-374-2332 or agarner@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Sheboygan Press: Cascade gas line rupture ‘scary and intimidating,’ authorities find no criminal wrongdoing
Reporting by Alex Garner, Sheboygan Press / Sheboygan Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
