Ruptured gas line causes UW evacuations

LARAMIE (WNE) — The Laramie Fire Department was dispatched to the intersection of North 15th Street and East Willett Drive Wednesday morning due to a report of a natural gas line that had been hit.

The intersection is within the University of Wyoming’s construction project for its new resident halls.

Initial assessment found that an excavator had struck a gas line in the middle of the intersection, and natural gas was leaking at a significant rate from the hole.

UW structures on both sides of 15th Street —  including both dormitory buildings under construction, two fraternity homes on fraternity row (closest to 15th Street), UW Lab School, UW Operations/Service Building, UW College of Business, and McWhinnie Hall — were evacuated as a precaution.

A suppression line was put in place near the hit line and gas monitoring was established to determine the flammable area.

The line was a 2-inch service gas line that fed one of the dormitories under construction. The line was exposed remotely and gas flow was stopped within about ten minutes.

Once the flow of gas was stopped at the strike site, buildings in the area were monitored for gas accumulation inside.

Finding no hazards,  the evacuated buildings were returned to university control. No fire erupted from the hit gas line and no injuries were reported.

This story was published on October 11, 2024.