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Evacuation irks emergency personnel
False leak report sends people from homes along Highway 140
Herald Staff Writer
More than 200 households in southwestern La Plata County were evacuated by reverse 911 calls Friday afternoon, for a gas leak that turned out to be just a burning brush pile.
Butch Knowlton, director of La Plata County's Office of Emergency Management, said after responders at the scene notified him that the report was false, he was upset.
"We thought it was a very dire situation," he said.
The initial call to dispatch came at 10:13 a.m.
The leak reportedly was near the intersection of County Road 122 and Colorado Highway 140.
Authorities monitored the situation for more than two hours. Reverse 911 calls to notify residents to evacuate went out at 11:17 a.m.
The evacuated residents were told they could return to the homes about 12:30 p.m.
The evacuated households were spread over a 21-square-mile area.
Emergency personnel from Fort Lewis Mesa Fire Protection District, Durango Fire & Rescue Authority, La Plata County Sheriff's Office, Southern Ute Police Department and the natural-gas company DJ Simmons Inc. responded to the scene.
Roadblocks were established on County Road 122.
Knowlton said the event highlights the importance of notifying authorities before setting controlled burns.
"A call of this magnitude prompts the use of many emergency response agencies' personnel and equipment, and can divert those valuable resources from genuine emergencies in other parts of the county," said Knowlton.
He advised residents considering controlled burns to notify the Durango Interagency Dispatch at 385-2900 before burning.
gandrews@durangoherald.com
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Durango Herald Calendar of Events
Saturday, October 31, 2009
at 5:54:30 PM
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Carl says...
Butch; Take a pill. You're wound up way too tight.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
at 3:58:51 PM
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b2 says...
Really, a burning brush pile smells like a gas leak? "Evacuation irks emergency personnel", I bet the residents evacauted by emergency personnel were pleased as well.