Quick Action by Fire Dept. Averts Disaster

Fairbury Rural Fire was called to the scene of a reported basement fire in a Fairbury residence at 6th and M Streets on Wednesday, May 25, at approximately 4:15 p.m. According to Assistant Fire Chief Barry Schwab, “There was no fire to speak of.” Instead, fire fighters saw a six-to-eight-inch flame coming out of a leak in the furnace gas supply line but not really burning anything else.Schwab told FJN, “The power was also out. We evacuated the occupant and maintained a perimeter. We tried to shut off the gas at the meter, but there was apparently still some gas flowing, which prevented the flame from going out completely. Eventually, after we determined the risk was low and while we were waiting for utilities to arrive, we sent a couple of firefighters in PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) into the house to investigate. They were able to turn the shut-off valve in the line right there at the furnace, and that did the trick. The flame went out, and there was very little overhaul to deal with.”When Black Hills Energy and Fairbury Light & Water arrived on the scene, it was determined that the power line feeding the house had partially snapped and the ground point in the house ended up being a clamp holding the flex gas line to the furnace. What caused the power line to snap, tension stress, weight of tree limbs, wind, is unknown at this time. A spark from the grounding of the power line is believed to have created a pinhole leak in the gas line and ignited the gas as the main breaker tripped.Schwab noted that, while the situation was dealt with quickly and no one was hurt, it could have spiraled out of control very easily, “All in all, we are very lucky that things happened the way they did and that there was never any real danger of gas buildup/explosion.”

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