SALEM, N.H. — About a dozen businesses along Route 28 were shut down for nearly three hours yesterday morning after a natural gas line was struck by a backhoe.
A worker digging a trench near Friendly's in the DeMoulas plaza hit the natural gas line running to the restaurant just before 8 a.m. yesterday. For security, the stores in the plaza and several nearby retail outlets were closed until 10:45 a.m., when the area was deemed safe, Salem fire Capt. Paul Leischner said.
Parking lots in the area also had to be locked down, meaning no cars could leave until the scene was cleared, he said.
Unitil was called in to shut down the gas line as firefighters checked air quality in the plaza and nearby. To secure the area, additional manpower was called in from Windham and Derry, as well as the state's hazardous materials response team. About 40 firefighters in all responded.
"It becomes a huge emergency incident," Leischner said.
The worker hit a line that was closer to the surface than typical gas lines, Salem fire Marshal Jeffrey Emanuelson said. The area had been surveyed by Dig Safe, and the worker knew there was a gas line there, but the markings didn't indicate how deep it was, Emanuelson said.
"This one was shallower than the other lines in the area," he said. "He was being careful; it was an accident."
Gas lines are usually buried about 36 inches deep, this line was about half that, Emanuelson said.
It's the second time a gas leak has closed businesses near the plaza since construction started there this spring. On April 28, a worker putting in a valve behind DeMoulas caused a gas leak, requiring the plaza and neighboring businesses to close for about 45 minutes.
Emanuelson said it was somewhat unusual to have two incidents like this at one construction site, but the two leaks were unrelated.
Construction is under way in the plaza to replace the DeMoulas with a Market Basket and give the rest of the plaza a face-lift. It's expected to cost approximately $15 million.
The DeMoulas, which closed in April, was the last grocery store owned by the regional Market Basket chain to carry the DeMoulas name.
• • •
Join the discussion. To comment on stories and see what others are saying, log on to eagletribune.com.
