Due to the possibility of an explosion, dozens of homes in Sydney’s west have been evacuated after an excavator ruptured a significant gas line.
Because of worries that the leak could cause an explosion, about 30 homes in Annandale in the city’s west neighbourhood had to be abandoned.
Construction at the WestConnex site was temporarily halted on Monday evening as firefighters and hazmat crews worked to stop the leak.
Crews are now tasked with the labor-intensive task of shutting off numerous supplies after a major line burst at the location of a junction box where multiple gas sources meet.
According to Superintendent Adam Dewberry of Fire and Rescue NSW, “It was a medium to high-pressure gas vein, and we’ve had to get crews to dig up pipes in other locations so they can shut down supply.”
We are dispersing the gas with water as an extra precaution because it is flammable but lighter than air and disperses quickly.
The suburb still has a 100-meter exclusion zone in place, and the significant leak has affected light rail service as well as nearby roads.
As of 6 o’clock in the evening, Johnston Street is still closed in both directions between Kentville Avenue and The Crescent, and the light rail service between Fish Market and Dulwich Hill has been replaced by buses.
At the WestConnex construction site, an excavator struck a significant gas line, which caused the leak to start at around 12:30pm on Monday.
To lessen the overpowering gas odour in the air, local residents have been advised to close their doors and windows.
While workers attempt to shut off numerous gas supplies at the junction, firefighters were seen hosing the area where the leak occurred in an effort to saturate it with less gas.
Residents would be allowed to enter their homes once the gas had been shut off and the line had been cleared, according to Superintendent Dewberry.
We anticipate that this process will take a few hours.