Photo by James Short.
Emergency responders were dispatched to the scene near the intersection with Sturgis Lane at 10:22 a.m. on June 12 for a reported gas leak.
A broken underground gas line forced the prolonged closure of Penllyn Pike in Lower Gwynedd on Wednesday.
Emergency responders were dispatched to the scene near the intersection with Sturgis Lane at 10:22 a.m. on June 12 for a reported gas leak. Arriving personnel learned that the underground line had broken, and quickly worked to close the road between Penn Brooke and Dager Road.
According to Wissahickon Fire Chief Jay Leadbeater, utility crews were working on installing a new pole when they mistakenly struck a six-inch, medium pressure gas line. Leadbeater said the utility company did not want to shut off the line at Bethlehem Pike or Gypsy Hill Road as there were 900 residents running off the line — including a nursing home — so the line was instead clamped off at the scene.
A potent gas smell was reported throughout the area, though no injuries were reported. The roadway was reopened at approximately 8 a.m. on Thursday after PECO finished repairing the line.
Responding units included Lower Gwynedd Police, Wissahickon Fire Company, North Penn Fire Company, Fire Department of Montgomery Township, and other area agencies.
