Natural Gas Leak at Route 25 and Fox Glen Drive Tuesday

The St. Charles Fire Department and Nicor responded Tuesday afternoon to a gas leak after a piece of construction equipment struck a 4-inch high-pressure natural gas main along Route 25 north of Fox Glen Drive.

There were no injuries, although some residents were asked to evacuate the area for a couple of hours as Nicor crews worked to shut off the leak, said Assistant Fire Chief Joe Schelstreet.

The incident was reported at 2:47 p.m., and Schelstreet said fire crews were on the scene at 2:53 p.m. and found that a contractor had struck the natural gas line that runs adjacent to Route 25. Nicor was contacted and authorities set up a perimeter around the leak.

Setting up a perimeter to control access to the scene was fairly easy in this instance—largely because Route 25 is already closed for construction in the area where the leak occurred, Schelstreet said.

Schelstreet said that several residents near the leak temporarily evacuated the area at the request of firefighters.

Residents were cleared to return at about 4:45 p.m., Schelstreet said. Nicor was expected to work into the night to complete the repairs.

A Look at Leaks

Firefighters took continual readings with monitoring equipment—known to some as “sniffers”—as Nicor crews worked to shut off the leak. Schelstreet said that it is a complicated process. Workers have to clear a trench around the leak and use special equipment to minimize static electricity. Then, he said, the leak must be shut off slowly, from both sides.

The Tri-Cities had two incidents with gas leaks last month. On June 1, a construction crew struck a gas main at the intersection of Route 31 and Red Gate Road, causing a Route 31 road closure and detour of several hours.

On June 2, the Geneva Fire Department responded to a leak in a gas feed to a stove at 321 Stevens Street. The address is home to several businesses, some of which briefly stopped operations during the incident.