Strong smell leads to discovery of 'explosive concentration' of gas in Westbrook - WMTW Portland

Strong smell leads to discovery of 'explosive concentration' of gas in Westbrook

Westbrook officials say two buildings were evacuated while Unitil crews repaired the gas leak

Fire department officials in Westbrook credit early detecting and a 911 call that prevented what could have been a very dangerous situation.

Monday night, officials say that a concerned driver reported the strong smell of gas at the intersection of William B. Clarke and Stroudwater Street.

Firefighters used gas meters to test nearby buildings and underground pipes — and after lifting a service manhole, discovered an "explosive concentration of gas" in the "underground system."

Several families were immediately evacuated from two buildings nearby, and Stroudwater Street was closed off in the area as a precaution. Unitil crews were able to track the gas back to a 6" distribution pipe that was leaking in what fire Chief Stephen Sloan says was the storm drain system.

It's unclear what caused the leak in the first place, though Sloan says the department has had a few reports of natural gas smells over "the last few weeks but were unable to locate the source until last night."

Nobody was injured, and there were no gas leak impacts detected inside any buildings. The leak was reportedly mitigated and fixed within several hours.