Local emergency services responded to a leak in a natural gas line Tuesday in Park Rapids.
According to Park Rapids Fire Chief Terry Long, the call went out at 10:23 a.m., at a vacant lot about a block south of State Hwy. 34 on Grove Avenue.
Park Rapids Fire Department, Park Rapids Police Department, Hubbard County Sheriff’s Office and Minnesota Energy Resources personnel responded to the page.
“We had several rigs on scene,” said Long, estimating that 15 firefighters responded along with six to eight other personnel. “We pretty much played a role in monitoring how much gas was collecting around there, making sure it was dissipating.”
Long said the cause of the leak appeared to be a contractor for the gas company who hit a gas line as they were installing a ground rod. He was uncertain whether the affected gas line was a service or a main, though he said it serviced several houses.
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Asked for clarification, Minnesota Energy Resources declined to comment.
Long said there was no evacuation, but some of the houses in the neighborhood were already vacant and residents of a few more voluntarily left the area for an hour or two while the gas company clamped the line.
