Lacombe gas main ruptures

Rain-soaked ground near Lacombe led to the downing of a power line and rupturing of a major gas main Wednesday night, leaving U.S. Highway 190 shut down for two hours.

After receiving heavy rains Wednesday evening, a Gustav-weakened tree uprooted at the intersection of U.S. 190 and Bremerman Road, taking out a power line and a 3-inch natural gas line, Fire Protection District 4 Chief Rick Tassin said.

“That’s a big one,” Tassin said, referring to the size of the gas leak. “We shut down the highway and asked some of the residents to stay indoors and others to leave the area.”

Traffic backed up for miles, Tassin said, as both lanes of the major throughway between Slidell and Mandeville were closed from 7:20 to 9:11 p.m. while crews addressed the situation.

“We didn’t want any vehicles passing in front of the leak that could spark a fire,” Tassin said.

After several hours on the scene, emergency personnel secured the gas line without any injuries. With Hurricane Ike marching across the Gulf of Mexico threatening to send high winds and heavy rains this way, Tassin said he’s concerned about other Gustav-weakened trees.

“We’re definitely keeping an eye on it,” Tassin said. “We’ve got a plan in place where additional personnel can be called in on a moment’s notice.”