Downtown Flomaton Evacuated Following Major Gas Leak; One Injured

July 31, 2008

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A gas leak Thursday forced the evacuation of much of downtown Flomaton, and it sent one gas company employee to the hospital.

Flomaton Fire Chief Steve Stanton says the Town of Flomaton was doing a routine movement of a water line when a gas line was damaged. An evacuation followed, emptying a large area of downtown Flomaton. It took authorities about an hour to cap off the leak on Palafox Street.

The timeline goes like this: A temporary repair to the pipe was made about 10:35 a.m. A repair crew capable of making a more permanent repair to the pipe arrived about 11:50 a.m. from South Alabama Gas. That repair was declared complete at 12:37 p.m..

After the “all clear” was given , people in the area were allowed to return to their homes and businesses.

Most downtown businesses were closed during the two plus hour event.. Many reopened, but the Escambia County Bank and the Post Office remained closed the rest of the day.

One person, identified as a South Alabama Gas employee, was transported to D.W. McMillan Hospital in Brewton with minor injuries.

A temporary shelter was setup by the American Red Cross at the First Baptist Church for the evacuees. Several household pets were also evacuated from the area by the Escambia County Humane Society.

The Flomaton Fire Department, the Flomaton Police Department, the Friendship Volunteer Fire Department, the Century Volunteer Fire Department, the Escambia County (AL) Sheriff’s Department and Escambia County (FL) EMS all responded to the scene. Flomaton Mayor Dewey Bondurant and Escambia County (AL) Emergency Management Agency Director David Adams were also on scene.

More photos will be posted shortly.

Alisa Hart photos for NorthEscambia.com. Click here for more photos from the scene.

Pictured above: A member of the Flomaton Fire Department surveys the scene. Pictured below: A temporary repair was made to the gas line. Alisa Hart photos for NorthEscambia.com.

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