Backhoe hits Gas Main

[BHarrison]

If you haven't seen it on the news yet, a backhoe hit a gas main in Chicago putting 3 guys in critical condition.
The flames looked to be about 30 feet high. I can only imagine how large the inital blast was.
The weather looked to be very cold, and wet. What a mess.

 

[s1120]

And I thought I had a bad day.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Is this what you are talking about? I hope they will be ok.

 

[BHarrison]

Yup. Amazing aint it.

 

[bgott]

I pulled a large gas line out of the ground with my box blade a couple of months ago. Someone had tore down a commercial building and instead of having Entex pull the line they just poured a sack of concrete around the valve. I was hammering the block of concrete pretty good and when it finally broke the valve broke, too. It sounds like a jet engine taking off behind you. I've had cars run over gas meters on my rental properties so I knew what happened immediately, the guy behind me that was guiding me like to have had a coronary. I don't really like to think about the sparks struck from that scraper chattering across rough concrete. Then there was the time, when I was driving a wrecker, that I snatched a car on it's side out of a ditch and a four inch gas main came with it. I've been kind of lucky with gas mains.

 

[Thomas]

So much for Dig Safe Program.
Hope the workers are okay..yikes.

 

[Egon]

That High pitched whine can realy get the adrenaline pumping as well as enabling one to set new records the 100 meter sprint. Heard it a few times in my previous work place and its not fun.

Egon

 

[MDNick]

You also want to be careful with the gas mains and a diesel. Diesels will suck the gas right through the air filter and run REAL good for a while. You don't want to wait around to drive the tractor away, but if possible point it in a general direction, and if geared, leave it in gear, and RUN. If you don't have time for all that, run first, re-build engine later./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[Egon]

They should have a positive air shut off.

Egon

 

[bky]

reminds me of the time i trenched through a 2" gas line feeding a mc donalds. boy were they mad.
the job supertendent told me there wasnt anything in the ground and to have at it so i did.
i bad part i didnt even know that i had hit it. i was just beboping along when a few ppl on the job sight came running out and yelled shut off the ditchwitch.
by that time i was already 50-60 feet from where i had hit it. and it does make a nice noise.