Gas line fixed, service restored

NORTH LIMA -- A Dominion East Ohio natural gas line that cracked Friday night was repaired and most of the 248 Beaver Township homes affected by the line were receiving service by about 6:30 a.m. Saturday, a gas company spokeswoman said.
Township fire officials closed the road Friday night near the sanitary sewer installation site where the leak occurred. Fire officials said there were no fires or explosions and no injuries.
The line cracked after a contractor working for the township water department filled a new water line to test if it was working properly about 8 p.m. Friday, said Madonna Chism Pinkard, manager of local affairs for Dominion East Ohio. The underground pressure coupled with the cold weather caused a 3-inch natural gas line at Harvard Boulevard and Warren Street to crack, she said.
Dominion East Ohio was alerted to a problem by residents who smelled an odor in the area, Pinkard said. She said gas to about 248 homes was turned off about 1:45 a.m. When gas was turned on several hours later, Dominion East workers went door to door to relight natural gas appliances for customers.
By 6:30 a.m., most homes were receiving gas. Pinkard said about 17 homes were not because owners were not at home and workers could not gain access to relight appliances.