By Hector Flores
A construction crew apparently struck the line while installing a fence at 806 E. Meadow Ave.
Firefighters reported that two women suffered minor injuries. One was taken to Nassau University Medical Center, where she was treated for exposure to the fumes. The other, who had an anxiety attack, refused treatment.
From 10:30 a.m. to noon, police blocked and rerouted traffic, until emergency personnel determined that the area was safe. Firefighters and hazardous materials units stayed at the scene until a KeySpan crew arrived to clamp and seal the gas line.
Thomas Tergesen, third deputy chief of the East Meadow Fire Department, said the department received an emergency call at 10:30 a.m. ³There was a worker digging with a manual post hole digger and he cut through a gas line,² Tergesen said.
The department responded with a gas detector and called the county¹s hazardous materials unit for assistance. When firefighters arrived, they evacuated residents from the surrounding houses as a precaution. ³We used two hose lines to disperse the gas,² Tergesen explained.
Levittown firefighters also responded, with a fire engine and an ambulance.
³When the emergency occurred, one of our engines had responded to a 9 a.m. fire in North Bellmore,² said Tergesen. ³We were there until 10:30 a.m. That¹s when the initial call went out from our East Meadow station.²
Tergesen added that Levittown¹s assistance aided the department¹s rapid response. ³We have four engines,² Tergesen said. ³One was out of service for a routine maintenance; another was at the North Bellmore fire; the third was at the scene on East Meadow Avenue; and the fourth was left at the station. In its place, we brought our ambulance to transport the injured people.²
At 10:44 a.m., the EMFD called KeySpan, and a repair crew arrived at 10:51 a.m. Diana Parisi, a spokeswoman for KeySpan, said the company shut off the gas line and made repairs.
Francesca Lever, an inactive Levittown firefighter who was at the scene, explained that the nearby homes had to be evacuated because anyone exposed to a natural gas line leak can become sick.
By noon, Tergesen said, KeySpan had taken control of the situation, and the fire department left the scene. ³We asked KeySpan if it was safe about 12 o¹clock,² he said. ³We left police and KeySpan at the scene after we were informed that there were no possibility of an explosion.²
Shriki, a next-door neighbor who did not give his last name, said he was at work when he heard about the gas leak. ³We were all out when it happened,² he said. ³The firefighters found the leak and it was a good response. The firefighters came here real quick.²
Comments about this story? HFlores@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 283.
