Single-Vehicle Crash Causes Multiple Hazards, No Injuries

Firefighters were called to the intersection of Watts Rd. and Struck Street following a car crash there. Madison Police officers were investigating the crash as they began to smell an odor of natural gas.
 
There were no injuries in the single-vehicle crash; however, the driver reported running over a small tree, a MGE Natural Gas pressure monitoring station, a pressurized gas pipe, and then into an Alliant Energy Bench Elbow transformer box that services the surrounding commercial district.
 
The vehicle was still on top of the broken gas pipe and still in contact with the transformer while natural gas continued to leak into the environment.
 
Ladder Company 6 established a “safe zone,” closing off traffic at the intersection. Noting the wind direction, all individuals on scene, including law enforcement, were directed to stand upwind of the gas leak.
 
MGE, Alliant Energy, Schmidt's Towing, and City Engineering were all called in to assist with hazard mitigation as firefighters contacted nearby businesses to monitor the environment for unsafe conditions.
 
Ladder 6 assisted MGE personnel with capping the broken pipe underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was then remove, and Alliant Energy mitigating hazards related to the damaged transformer box.