In Cheney, a gas leak has led to the evacuation of approximately 20 homes, with one residence remaining evacuated as of Wednesday. The incident originated from a two-inch rupture in a gas line, triggered by a private contractor who mistakenly struck the line while installing fiber optic cables.
CHENEY, Wash. – Residents of the 2500 block of Bethany Street in Cheney were evacuated due to a gas line rupture caused by a private contractor. The incident happened when the contractor hit a gas line while installing fiber optic cable, leading to a leak that emitted natural gas into the area.
Cheney Fire Chief Tom Jenkins explained the situation, stating, “It was an issue between the private contractor and Avista — the utilities manager.”
The gas lines are marked in orange to help contractors avoid them during construction. However, Jenkins noted two potential issues: Avista may not have labeled the line correctly, or the contractor may not have dug in the right spot.
Despite the disruption, most residents, including seventh grader Hadley Bloom, were only outside for a few hours. Hadley recalled, “My dad was calling me and saying get up, get dressed, you have to be evacuated.”
Fortunately, the heavy winds in Cheney helped disperse most of the gas.
Jenkins said, “Natural gas is a little heavier than air except on days like today where it’s extremely windy. The way that it was blowing pushed the gas against the house.”
However, one home, located right next to the gas line, still has unsafe gas levels. Jenkins mentioned, “They’re not sure at this point in time if they have to stay out of the house for the whole day or just a couple of hours.”
The affected family will need to wait a while longer before they can safely return.
Jenkins said, “Obviously it’s gonna take a few hours to maybe a day to fully dissipate to safe levels.”
Hadley, now back at home, said she only smelled a hint of the gas.