CONNEAUT - - A persistent smell of natural gas in a section of Conneaut's downtown district the past several days tipped city officials to a massive sinkhole growing beneath one of the city's busiest intersections, Fire Chief Bim Orrenmaa said Monday.
Repair crews from Dominion East Ohio, investigating the odor Monday morning, discovered a gaping cavern beneath the pavement - - large enough to swallow a vehicle - - at Main and Harbor streets, Orrenmaa said.
"It was at least eight feet wide, eight feet long and five feet deep," he said.
A broken storm sewer drain apparently leaked water that washed away soil, creating a cavity that could have collapsed under the weight of vehicles at any time, Orrenmaa said. "We averted a tragedy," he said.
Disappearing dirt may have also made leaks in a natural gas line easier to detect. As the gas line gradually lost it's insulating blanket of soil, the smell intensified. Prompt response by Dominion repairmen made a big difference, he said.
"If the gas company hadn't been so helpful, we wouldn't have found the sinkhole," Orrenmaa said.
The gas line and storm sewer were repaired during the day, and by early Monday evening workers from the city's Public Works Department was filling the giant hole.
The incident began around 9:30 a.m., when employees at Marshall's Auto Supply, located at the intersection, reported a strong smell of natural gas, Orrenmaa said. The odor had been detected over the past several days, "but (Monday) it seemed worse," he said.
Inspectors sent to the scene summoned extra help to deal with the problem, Orrenmaa said. "(Dominion) pulled crews off other jobs," he said.
When the gas crews began digging, they "found a huge problem," Orrenmaa said.
The Main Street side of the intersection was closed to traffic during the day, while flow was reduced to one lane on Harbor Street, Orrenmaa said. No buildings had to be evacuated, he said.
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