Businesses around the former Kroger grocery store on South Illinois Avenue were evacuated on Tuesday afternoon after a gas leak was reported.
If it had exploded, the 8,500 cubic feet of natural gas that leaked into the former Kroger grocery store on South Illinois Avenue on Tuesday could have had a devastating impact on the shopping center and blown out windows in nearby businesses, possibly even across the street, a city official said Wednesday.
“Had it exploded, we would have been on national news,†Oak Ridge Fire Department Chief Darryl Kerley said. “It could have been devastating for all the businesses in that complex.â€
Authorities suspect that the gas slowly flowed into the 30,000-square-foot grocery store starting Tuesday morning through an uncapped gas line that was once connected to an oven.
By the time emergency workers responded to a report of a gas leak on Tuesday afternoon, Kerley said, “the store was almost completely filled with a dangerous concentration of natural gas.â€
But at that point, the gas mixture was actually too rich to burn, Kerley said. Still, firefighters and utility workers had to be cautious as they worked to remove the natural gas because they moved through the flammable range as they reduced the concentration.
“You have to be real careful that you don’t have an ignition source when you start ventilating a structure like that,†Kerley said.
The gas leak was reported at about 3:45 p.m. Tuesday. After smelling gas and doing some detective work to determine the source, workers at Mr. K’s Used Books and CDs reported the leak to the Oak Ridge Utility District, which immediately alerted the Oak Ridge police and fire departments. Nearby stores were quickly evacuated, and the shopping center’s parking lot was temporarily closed.
Kerley said the leak appeared to be the result of a series of events, and not the fault of one person. At some point, he said, someone apparently turned off the gas meter at the back of the former Kroger store, possibly to remove ovens inside. The meter was left off, and after a few months without any gas use, ORUD stopped by to put a seal over the meter to show that they had been there and the meter was off.
Darryl Kerley
But then at about 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, someone turned on the meter, apparently to turn on the heat in preparation for cold weather. However, that person didn’t realize that gas-powered equipment had been disconnected, and gas slowly flowed into the building through the uncapped gas line, Kerley said.
Firefighters worked with ORUD, the Oak Ridge Electric Department, and Kroger representatives to contain the gas leak on Tuesday afternoon, eliminate ignition sources, and ventilate the building. Kerley said they had to ensure that the power was turned off at Kroger and surrounding businesses, and grills—potential ignition sources—were turned off in nearby restaurants, including China Wok and Nixon’s Deli.
Eventually, firefighters used a ladder truck to climb onto Kroger’s roof to open vents. They used high-powered fans at the front of the store to push in fresh air and push out the gas, which is lighter than air and will rise.
Kerley said firefighters and ORUD did not go into the store but used meters stuck through the entryways to measure gas levels.
But they had to put their own safety in jeopardy to get close enough to the building to make sure it was safe, Kerley said. A thermostat or a little spark could have ignited the gas, he said.
“You can’t fix it unless you get close enough to it,†Kerley said. “The good thing, it was too rich when (they) got there.â€
He said he was very proud of his team. There was no fire, and there were no injuries.
The fire chief urged anyone who smells natural gas or propane to call 911.
Emergency workers remained at the former grocery store until about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, when store owners and evacuated staff were called back to their businesses.
Kerley praised Mr. K’s employees for probably saving the shopping center from damage. He said ORFD Battalion Commander Todd Derrick did a fantastic job of getting the situation under control immediately. And he gave credit to the help from ORUD, the Oak Ridge Electric Department, and Kroger.
“Everybody did exactly what they were supposed to do,†Kerley said.
Note: Asked to put the 8,500 cubic feet of natural gas into context, Kerley said a December 2009 natural gas explosion in West Knox County that leveled a house, killed one person, and flung debris and two residents, among other things, occurred in a 3,500-square-foot home.
Philip W Nipper says
Sounds to me like there were non-qualified people involved here. Experienced and qualified personnel NEVER disconnect a natural gas line from an appliance without installing a cap or shut off device (valve) or both. Same goes for the person who opened the gas meter without ORUD assistance or at least completing a full gas line inspection inside the building that the gas meter is servicing. Like the Chief said, this could have been devastating with probable loss of life. The workers and other responsible parties (building owner) involved should be held to task. P.S. Always hire licensed and insured trade people!!
Raymond Charles Kircher says
This story is falling short of information in the local codes applied to such an event as a building becoming vacant. ORUD may shut off the gas supply and seal it at the meter, but to turn on such a service requires an inspection by ORUD. There is no code that I’m aware of that states a gas supply line needs to be capped for an out of service connection, Mr Nipper. But code does require a field inspection before any gas service is to be turned on. I’m sure while the building was being vacated they used low-wage and inexperienced labor in disconnecting those gas units, but current protocol for gas service covers such an event. There is no need to have licensed and insured and bonded employees to disconnect gas units once the service was shut off. I’m sure Kroger took their safety shut-off devices for such units also. It is theirs to take, if they supplied the security of such a device. I would bet ORUD never allowed their meter to be put back into use, besides to fill that building in 6 hours so neighboring shops could smell it IS NOT A SLOW LEAK. Who is the someone who ignored an ORUD seal? There is our city idiot/saboteur.
For the homeowner who thinks about gas leaks, many homes only use gas for HVAC, so some homeowners shut off their gas meter at the service gas cock once warm weather is here. This type of shut off requires an ORUD inspection to have the service put back into service. This is free and ORUD sends out very qualified and friendly service people to insure your gas service is correct. The protocol is very sensible and wisely followed. Now if you wish to have your gas service at your beck and call, never shut off your gas service.
Philip W Nipper says
There may be no written code that dictates the use of caps or valves for an out of service connection, but it sure makes for good engineering practice and if that practice was utilized here, there would not have been a gas leak. As for your statement about homeowners turning off the main gas cock at the meter, I would encourage folks who do that to stop doing that. There is no gas usage when the unit is not in the heat mode and leaving the gas turned on does not damage the unit or control valve. Homeowners in general should not be fooling around with any portion of the natural gas distribution system in their homes without having proper supervision and / or experience. Again, utilizing a licensed professional makes sense when dealing with things that go boom, can kill you and those around you and damage property. (Master Plumber License #880 City of Oak Ridge, initial issue 1980).
Raymond Charles Kircher says
Mr. Nipper, proper installation of gas service is another story for the new tenant. What is at issue is someone seen a closed gas valve and decided to turn it on. It shouldn’t need a professional to understand basic flammable gas consequences and an understanding that someone shut that valve for a reason. Should we have an electrician completely remove a circuit from a panel when shutting down that branch? Seems to me that logic would give premise to removing any possibility of an idiot firing that branch back up without checking the condition of that wire. That is just wrong. I can put all the caps the city wants me to put on, even I wouldn’t sit so smug that a code is to stop all gas explosions. One thing this story does say is this city has its idiots. Furthermore, I have yet to hear the contractor, the homeowner, or the state gas inspector to be held accountable for such an explosive event. If you have people turning on closed and sealed gas valves without a free and simple inspection from ORUD, there is no code going to stop that.