Lexington residents frustrated after gas lines hit. ‘I’m scared to go home.’
Krystin Wieland was too scared to stay in her own Lexington, Missouri, home Thursday night.
With the limited resources her family had, she paid for a hotel room to keep her family safe and away from a gas leak near her neighborhood, she said. One that was still relatively far from her home.
Around 8:30 a.m. Friday, Lexington police notified Wieland of a new leak, just a few feet from her home. As she watched police from the cameras on her house, Weiland got confirmation that she had made the right choice.
“I mean, I’m scared to go home,” Wieland said. “My 8-year-old, when we found out, she just started bawling, like, ‘Mom, don’t go home, please.’”
“And I was like, ‘Sis, we won’t go home until we know we’re safe,’” Wieland said.
The Lexington community, still reeling from a 5-year-old’s death in a home explosion five months ago, is on edge after gas lines continue to get hit by companies installing fiber optic cables.
Friday was the second consecutive day it happened this week.
Lexington police and fire departments were dispatched Friday morning to 51 Lakeview Drive in the Indian Hills subdivision on reports of an unmarked gas line that was struck, said Lexington Police Chief Josh Coen.
Coen said on social media that the gas line was hit by fiber optics installers.
“We are asking citizens to avoid the area,” Coen said on Facebook. “Police and fire crews are evacuating the citizens within 330 feet of the line puncture.”
No injuries were reported as a result of Friday’s gas leak.
According to the Facebook post, Liberty Utilities was on scene Friday. The utility company has faced public scrutiny and several lawsuits following a fatal home explosion in Lexington earlier this year.
A subcontractor struck an unmarked gas line on April 9 while laying fiber optic cable, which led to leaking gas and a home explosion that killed 5-year-old Alistair Lamb.
Lawsuits from affected families allege Liberty Utilities and construction companies failed to mark lines properly and respond to the leak in time, resulting in the boys death, severe injuries and property damage.
‘How does this keep happening?’
A gas leak Thursday afternoon also left people living in the Indian Hills area scrambling while crews made repairs. Gas was shut off as police and fire crews went door to door to evacuate citizens.
The city’s emergency management department opened a church up for anyone evacuated that needed a place to go.
Coen said on social media that Thursday’s call came in just before 2 p.m. A gas line had been hit by a fiber company after the line was not located correctly, he said. No injuries were reported Thursday.
Authorities allowed people to return to the area around 3:45 p.m., after they determined it was safe to do so.
However, Wieland didn’t yet trust that it was safe.
She and her boyfriend called the mayor of Lexington, the police chief, and even got ahold of a number for the utility company responsible for the gas lines.
The gas company didn’t respond to questions, other than to tell her that there would be an investigation, she said. She was left wondering why people are still being allowed to dig when there are multiple lines allegedly marked wrong, she said.
“You’re acting like this is nothing, like it’s perfectly fine that in 20, not even 24 hours, we’ve had two gas hits,” Wieland said. “That’s scary to us.”
Wieland said she only knew of Thursday’s gas leak after getting a call from her children’s school saying it was unsafe for them to ride the bus home. The Lexington R-5 school district made different arrangements for student drop off and organized parent pickups when possible, police said.
Lexington officials faced criticism after the April home explosion, as community members claimed the boy’s death could have been avoided if proper alerts were in place.
On social media Thursday, Coen reminded the community that they can sign up for text and email alerts on the city website, a feature added after the boys death. Wieland signed up for those alerts Friday.
“When these emergencies happen, I understand citizens want information immediately,” Coen said in a Facebook post. “We have to prioritize our attention to the immediate needs and the residents affected first. We ask that those who do not live in the area of the emergencies, please stay clear and out of the way. We will always update as soon as we can.”
Lexington community pleads for solutions
After police posted about Friday morning’s gas leak, several people took to the comments section to express their frustration.
Several people raised questions about whether responsibility lies with those digging, or those who allegedly, according to police, improperly marked the gas lines.
Misty Harris’ comment was among the shorter ones Friday.
“Again?” she asked.
“All we get told is they’re trying the best they can,” Harris said in a phone call Friday morning.
Harris said she has resorted to cutting gas usage down in her home, for fear of the worst happening. She’s even considering ways to transition her home to all-electric.
Harris said her son was friends with Alistair, and that the memory of his death is still a fresh wound.
This past July, Thomas Hardin Jr., 28, bought a home in Lexington. While raising a 7-month-old daughter, frequent news of gas leaks has made him nervous, he said in a text.
“I think the city and the gas company that service the town need to prioritize finding and marking gas lines,” Hardin said. “And also, these fiber optic companies that come out need to survey or have someone come check before they start digging. It’s apparent that there’s a lot of negligence and it’s unacceptable.”
“...every time we see this kind of thing happen we worry about our safety,” Hardin said. “It could happen to us you know?... seeing this happen again and again is outrageous.”
