Gas leak in Odessa prompts road closures and evacuations – Kingston News

Editor's note: This article has been updated since its original publication on Thursday, October 24, 2024 at 4:50 p.m. The most recently updated information can be found at the bottom of the article.

On Thursday afternoon, October 24, 2024, traffic was disrupted in the area of ​​County Road 2 and West/Durhman Street in Odessa after a natural gas leak was detected at that intersection.

In response to inquiries from Kingstonist about the incident, Trevor Cornelius, Corporate Communications Manager for Loyalist Township, said that for safety reasons, residents within 100 meters of the Pop In Store (55 Main St, Odessa, ON K0H 2H0) are encouraged to do so evacuate the area.

“Everyone else is asked to avoid the area. Please note that this section of Highway 2 is closed to traffic. Emergency services are currently on scene to assist residents and inform them of the evacuation request,” Cornelius said in an email.

“The council chambers are available to residents as a public refuge until the situation is resolved. We will provide updates as more information becomes available.”

The gas leak is believed to be due to digging in the area of ​​CR 2 and Durham/West Street. At the time of publication, it was unclear what type of work was being done at the time of the leak. Enbridge Gas is reportedly on site as of 3:40 p.m

For important updates on this topic, follow Loyalist Township on social media: Facebook, X (formerly Twitter).

Update (Friday, October 25, 2024, 10:40 a.m.):

According to Loyalist Township staff, the gas leak, which occurred near the intersection of County Road 2/Main Street and Durham/West Street in Odessa, was reported by Enbridge Gas on Thursday, October 25, 2024 at 8:45 p.m “isolated”. About five and a half hours after the leak began.

The gas leak, which alerted emergency responders just after 3 p.m., led to the evacuation of residents within a 100-meter radius of the Pop In Food Store, located west of the intersection described above. Those residents were able to return to their homes around 8:45 p.m., when roads were just reopening, according to Trevor Cornelius, corporate communications manager for Loyalist Township.

“Loyalist Utilities continues to work to restore water service to all affected customers,” Cornelius said in an email to Kingstonist shortly before 9 p.m. on Thursday.

“We sincerely thank everyone for their patience and understanding during this situation.”

The next morning, loyalist fire and rescue chief Kent Readman reiterated that the gas leak had been isolated and noted that all roads had been reopened.

While several residents reported that the gas leak was caused by a rupture of a gas line during some type of excavation, it remains unclear what type of excavation was and whether it occurred on private property, municipal land, or a construction site. It also remains unclear whether the gas leak has actually been fixed or whether it just remains “isolated,” according to Loyalist Township officials.

Kingstonist has reached out to Enbridge Gas for further details and is awaiting further responses from the community.

This article will be updated as more information becomes available.

Update (Friday, October 25, 2024, 4:46 p.m.):

In response to inquiries from Kingstonist, Enbridge Gas confirmed that the gas leak in Odessa on Thursday, October 24, 2024 was caused by digging work on a gas pipeline.

The work performed was a contract from Loyalist Township, the natural gas company said.

“The third party was working on municipal property on behalf of the municipality,” said Kendra Black, external communications and media relations manager for Enbridge Gas.

“The repairs to the damage were completed yesterday evening. A customer’s natural gas supply was impacted and service was restored this morning.”

Inquiries to Loyalist Township and Loyalist Fire and Rescue earlier in the day remained unanswered at the time of publication.

With files from Tori Stafford.