Individuals and animals evacuated watch as the police arrive Mar. 18, 2015 at the Veterinary Medicine Center on 736 Wilson Rd. A natural gas leak was confirmed. Alice Kole/The State News
—The gas main that a worker struck while drilling at the Cyclotron construction site was buried at the time, and an investigation is underway soon to determine what missteps led to the accident and the ensuing natural gas leak, a Consumers Energy spokesman said.
The results of the investigation will likely be confidential, Consumers Energy spokesman Terry DeDoes said.
The leak occurred shortly after 1 p.m. on Wednesday, and crews from the public utility halted the leak shortly before 7 p.m. that day, DeDoes said. Around 11:40 p.m., just before the final MSU Alert was issued, crews had welded the gas main, restoring normal functioning.
To stop the leak, workers had to isolate the damaged main by exposing the adjoining gas mains and squeezing them with something akin to an old-fashioned clothes dryer, the wringer kind with two rollers, DeDoes said. Once the leak was stopped, the crews could begin repairs.
Although the volume of natural gas released into the air is unknown at this time, DeDoes said that given the medium-pressure rating of the punctured gas main, the leak likely was significant.
"Anytime you damaged a gas main like that it's significant," he said. "But there is the capacity to be much larger than this one."
The accumulation of natural gas in nearby campus buildings was monitored by Consumers Energy, MSU’s Environmental Health and Safety team and the East Lansing Fire Department to determine whether those inside should be evacuated.
The Cyclotron construction site was the only place on campus evacuated. Adjacent streets were closed to reduce sources of ignition in the area, DeDoes said.
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