Front-end loader caused gas line break, investigators conclude

BRISTOL, Tenn. – A natural gas leak that led to the evacuation of about 400 homes and diversion of traffic for five hours along state Route 126 Friday evening, happened when Shoun Trucking Co.’s front-end loader struck an underground high-pressure gas line while cleaning out a ditch.
That was the conclusion of an investigation by Atmos Energy, the natural gas company responsible for the pipe and the repairs, said Joel Ames, public affairs manager for the Georgia-based Atmos.

The driver of the equipment had left the scene by the time emergency workers responded.
Cars were turned away at both sides of the “hot zone,” at Rock Road and Walnut Hill Road, as crews with the gas company worked to contain the spewing, highly volatile substance. The Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office used the reverse 911 system to alert homes within a one-mile radius to evacuate immediately, said Sullivan County Sheriff’s Lt. Mark Murph, who said earlier than even a small spark could have sent a “giant torch” of flames into the air and quickly spread a fire through the neighborhood. The accident happened at about 4:30 p.m. in front of the company’s building on Route 126. The front-end loader tore a 3-inch hole in the 4-inch plastic pipeline, Murph said.
Both during a telephone call and a visit Monday to the trucking company, President and CEO Shiela S. Shoun declined to comment, saying she had been told not to do so by her insurance company.

Before any digging or excavation work, companies and individuals are required by Tennessee law to give 72 hours notice by calling the Tennessee One Call System. This allows time for utilities companies to mark, for free, where their lines run underground.
A spokesman for the Tennessee One Call System said the last alert from the trucking company’s Highway 126 address was in June. He added that neglecting to give proper notice is a misdemeanor, punishable by a $2,500 fine and up to 48 hours in jail.
Ames, with Atmos, said the findings of the investigation will be filed with Tennessee One Call. Then Atmos will compile an invoice, including the costs of all labor and supplies, and bill the responsible party.

On Friday, deputies with the Sheriff’s Office, officers from the Bristol Tennessee Police Department and Tennessee Highway Patrol manned both ends of the blocked road, turning cars away by the hundreds along a two-mile stretch of 126.

The Sullivan County Volunteer Fire Department was on hand in case of an explosion, which was averted. No one was injured.
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