An area of downtown Sturgeon Bay was closed off Wednesday afternoon for a few hours due to a substantial natural gas leak. At about 3:15PM, the Degroot Construction Company was digging near a home at the corner of 5th Avenue and Oregon Street near the government center and they hit the gas line. Sturgeon Bay Fire Chief Tim Dietman reports his department initially sent 2 engines and 4 firefighters to the scene. He explains here what they found upon arrival and how they proceeded…
Also on scene were Door County Emergency Management and the Sturgeon Bay Police as they established a safety zone and kept traffic out of that area. Wisconsin Public Service soon arrived and realized they were dealing with a large amount of concentrated gas…
With the danger level elevated, they evacuated 5 nearby homes and people in the government center were told to shelter in place. The DNR airboat was brought in to help ventilate the home, but by the time it arrived the gas level was below that lower explosive limit and the area was declared safe. Fire Chief Dietman says the incident is still under investigation, but it appears the contractor did perform the proper safety checks…
The response cleared the scene and the roads were re-opened by 6:15PM. There were no injuries. The evacuated homes were deemed safe and all natural gas service was restored.
