Members of the Williston Park Fire Department scrambled to evacuate houses and commercial buildings at the scene of several gas main leaks on Sherman Avenue on Friday morning.
A significant gas line rupture occurred as the result of road repairs being done by Reet Construction on Sherman at the intersection of Willis Avenue, and smaller leaks were detected along the same line, according to Williston Park Fire Department Chief George Jaroncyk Jr.
Jaroncyk said the Williston Park Fire Department received the call at 9:21 a.m. and arrived on the scene within minutes.
National Grid workers who arrived on the scene at 9:45 a.m. carefully dug around the pipe where the largest leak occurred on the north side of Sherman at the intersection of Willis Avenue. Firefighters stood by with hoses in case a spark ignited the gas from the exposed fissures in the line.
“The workers disrupted a gas line,” Jaroncyk said. “We’re just securing the houses and making sure the residents are safe.”
He said the firefighters evacuated 16 homes on Sherman Avenue that showed indications of gas, Jaroncyk said.
Workers at Zolezzi Auto Body and in offices at 436 Williston Avenue were also immediately evacuated.
“Anytime you disturb the surface, you can get disruptions. These pipes are old. It’s a common thing, but it’s a dangerous situation,” Jaroncyk said.
He said he went to Zolezzi Body Work as soon as he arrived on the scene and told workers there to stop using acetylene torches.
“Any little spark can catch,” he said.
Units of the East Williston and Mineola Fire Departments assisted the Williston Park firefighters at the scene. Members of the Albertson Fire Department were on standby to respond to any calls the Williston Park Fire Department might have received while the gas leaks were being resolved.
Units from the Nassau County Police Department were blocking traffic in both directions on Willis Avenue in the vicinity of Sherman Avenue.
Village of Williston Park Mayor Paul Ehrbar was on the scene early on along with Keith Bunnel, superintendent of the village Department of Public Works, who is a volunteer in the Williston Park Fire Department.
National Grid workers were on the scene to shut off the gas to half of the houses on Sherman Avenue.
Jaroncyk said firefighters entered the houses that had been evacuated on Sherman with detection equipment and opened the windows to allow gas in the homes to escape. He said they used fans in the office building at 436 Willis Avenue to disperse the gas remaining in that building.
National Grid workers replaced the cracked pipes and turned gas back on along Sherman Avenue as of 2:30 p.m., according to National Grid spokeswoman Wendy Ladd.
“National Grid was out there on the scene working today and we had everybody back up and running by this afternoon,” Ladd said on Friday.
