MARC JACOBS
Hutch Post
3 p.m. Sunday UPDATE from Kansas Gas Service: We want to thank the community for your patience and cooperation throughout this repair and restoration process. If you are still without service, please call 888-482-4950 when you are ready to restore service. Our technicians will need access to your property to relight appliances and perform routine safety checks.
Important Reminders:
• An adult must be home for our technicians to enter each customer location
• Please do not attempt to turn the meter back on yourself
Our technicians continue to monitor the area as we work with the authorities on an investigation. If you would like to submit a claim for issues related to the loss of gas service, please contact our Claims team at [email protected] or 913-599-8934.
As always, your safety is our top priority. If you smell natural gas, leave the area immediately and then call 911 and our emergency number at 888-482-4950.
8 a.m. Sunday UPDATE from Hutchinson Fire Department: The Hutchinson Fire Department has had discussions with Kansas Gas this morning and the evacuation area has been minimized to the following area. Main Street from Avenue D down to Avenue G 1 Block East and West of Main Street on Avenue E. This includes all businesses on both sides of Main Street and 1 residential home on Avenue F. Currently there are 18 businesses and 1 residential home without gas service. If you live outside of the stated area, you may return to your home.
Kansas Gas will continue to have a large presence in this area for the next couple of days. We ask that you continue to avoid the area as work is being done to remedy the situation. Kansas Gas is continuing to monitor the area for gas and will continue throughout the next couple of days.
Overnight, crews have made significant progress and all hands are working on fixing the situation.
If residents in the area are concerned about their home having gas inside, Kansas Gas has a hotline to call. Please call 888-482-4950 and reference the Hutchinson incident. Kansas Gas has technicians in the area that will come by and monitor your home for gas. If you feel you have a gas emergency, please contact 911 for HFD response.
9 p.m. UPDATE: Officials tell us that as of 8 p.m., the evacuation zone has been reduced to the area bounded by Avenue C to Avenue F, and Walnut to Adams.
The evacuation will remain in place until morning while Kansas Gas Service repairs the gas main. Once that repair is complete, Kansas Gas Service will contact each resident to restore service.
ORGINAL POST: Shortly before 9:30 a.m., the Hutchinson Fire Department said they were called to the area of B and Main for reports of a natural gas odor. Responding crews could not find a source at that location so they moved their way down Main Steet.
When they arrived to the corner of Avenue E and Main Street, they saw the gas coming up through the road and sidewalk. They entered the business there and their monitors activated.
Crews noted that all the occupants of the building were out, and they exited the building and within 30 seconds the building exploded.
Officials said that the fire is being fed by a 10-inch natural gas line. Officials say that the body of the fire is under control, but the street and fire remains on fire due to the gas leak.
Hutchinson Fire Department crews were forced to take a defensive stance and are using unmanned water streams to fight the fire.
Mayor Stacy Goss said that all the City of Hutchinson fire crews are deployed along with crews from Reno County Fire District Number 3, Buhler and South Hutchinson fire departments.
The area between Avenue A and Frank Hart Crossing and Popular Street and Adams Street are currently under an evacuation.
There has been an evacuation and warming center set up at the Salvation which is located at 700 North Walnut.
Kansas Gas and Evergy have crews on the scene monitoring the evacuated buildings. Kansas Gas released a statement to Hutch Post:
“Our crews have responded to 428 S. Main in Hutchinson, Kansas and are working with the Hutchison Fire Department and local emergency responders. More information will be released once officials have completed their investigation.
The primary concern of Kansas Gas Service is safety. As a precautionary measure, the area around the location is being isolated and secured.
If you smell natural gas, leave the area immediately then call 911 and our Emergency Line 888-482-4950. Do not use any electrical equipment such as phones, garage doors, or light switches until you are a safe distance away from the odor.”
We are scheduled to receive another update from the Hutchinson Fire Department. We will update this story as new information becomes available.