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Gas leak repair
turns fiery
Two workers are hurt, a school
is evacuated and streets shut
down when a line fix goes bad
Workers repairing a leak in an underground gas line in Kalihi accidentally set off a fireball yesterday that burned two of them and prompted Honolulu police to evacuate Kaiulani Elementary School and shut down North King Street.
Flames shot into the air and were allowed to burn for more than two hours before Honolulu firefighters put out the fire so workers could complete the repair.
One of the injured workers, a man in his late 30s, suffered first- and second-degree burns over 5 percent of his body, primarily to his back and neck, said Steve Golden, Gas Co. spokesman. He remained in Straub Hospital last night.
The second injured worker suffered a slight burn to one of his ears and elevated blood pressure, Golden said. The 50-year-old man was treated at Straub Hospital and released. Both men are veteran workers of the Gas Co., Golden said.
Kaiulani School Principal Charlotte White was in her second-floor office when she heard an explosion at about 11:30 a.m. "It was like a sonic boom."
White said she thought it was an earthquake.
"We felt it in the school, and we looked out here and suddenly there were flames everywhere," White said.
Only office staff, custodians, cafeteria workers and some teachers were in the school at the time because of the summer break. White said she told everybody to leave their buildings over the school's public address system before police ordered the evacuation.
She officially closed the school when she left the campus at 11:56 a.m.
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Kaumakapili Church volunteer Lehua Castro was just outside the church's administrative offices when she saw the fireball erupt, but heard no explosion. The church is across the street from the school.
"All I saw was a big flame and two guys running across the street," Castro said.
She said one of the two men who ran from the flames sat down at a nearby bus stop, where a Honolulu police officer assisted him. An ambulance later took the man away. The officer was on the scene to direct traffic during the initial repair.
Golden said the worker who suffered the more serious burns was in a hole dug into North King Street when the gas ignited. The other worker was outside the hole on "fire watch."
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He said fire-resistant suits prevented them from suffering more serious burns, but both were also wearing orange safety vests which burned, Golden said.
The workers were part of a four-man crew that went to Kalihi to repair a leak to a 2-inch line that runs under Palama Street to a 4-inch line under North King Street. They plugged the 2-inch line, replaced the leaky section and had just removed the plug when the gas ignited, Golden said.
"In that process they must have sparked," Golden said. However, what caused the ignition or the spark is still under investigation.
Golden said the fire did not disrupt service to any customers, and none of them were in any danger.
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As a precaution, Kaumakapili Church volunteers preparing food for the church's 34th annual luau today shut off their gas stoves when the fire erupted. They resumed cooking even as flames from the gas line continued to burn after getting assurances that it was OK, Castro said.
Police closed North King Street at Pua Lane and Kokea Street. They also closed Palama Street at Kanoa Street, turning away angry motorists headed for Tamashiro Market.
The valve to the leaky gas line was shut off, but the fire continued as the excess gas was burned off. Firefighters put out the fire at 1:45 p.m.
Work crews completed the repair to the gas line two hours later, and King Street was reopened at 3:45 p.m.
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