When he first heard the hissing noise, Kevin Thornton thought someone nearby had left their garden hose running.
But when the Alameda Fire Department (AFD) came knocking on his door just after 1:30 PM on Wednesday, January 14, he discovered the real reason. Contractors working on a sewer rehabilitation project just outside of his home, near the intersection of Fifth Street and Pacific Avenue, had ruptured a gas line.
The gas leak prompted the evacuation of Thornton and his neighbors living on and near Fifth Street, along with about 100 students and faculty at Island High School and the Alameda Child Development Center (ACDC). Residents were directed to an evacuation center set up at the Mastick Senior Center, while a parade of vans brought ACDC students to nearby Paden Elementary School, according to Susan Davis, Alameda Unified School District (AUSD) Senior Manager of Community Affairs.
“The smell was intense,” recalled Thornton, who evacuated with his wife and stepdaughter to Mastick Senior center, which had been set up for evacuees.
His next-door neighbor, Alice Livingston, was working from home and was just winding up her work day when she got the knock on the door. She quickly grabbed her cat, Lulu, and because her driveway was blocked she made her way out of the area on foot before getting picked up by a friend who lives down the street.
“It’s just frustrating when this stuff happens,” Livingston said.
By 3:30 p.m., Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) crews were able to stop the flow of gas after dispatching crews to the scene to work with first responders and assess the damage. According to Edgar Hopida, a PG&E media representative, “a third-party unaffiliated with PG&E hit and damaged a two-inch gas distribution line.”
Shortly afterwards, AFD notified community members that they could safely return to their homes, and that PG&E gas techs were on site to relight any pilot lights as needed.
Davis also confirmed that all students were reunited with their families and that both Island High and ACDC would be open on Thursday.
As of Wednesday night, portions of Fifth Street between Buena Vista Avenue and Lincoln Avenue remained closed to through traffic as PG&E crews assessed the damaged pipeline to develop a repair plan before returning to normal operation.
Ken Der is a contributing writer for the Alameda Post. Contact him via [email protected]. His writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Ken-Der.
