AccuWeather flood expert, Alex Sosnowski, has reported on the repeated rounds of rain and thunderstorms in June that have caused river flooding in the Midwest. Fortunately, there were no injuries on Monday when a contractor accidentally struck a gas line near Antietam Broadband, resulting in a fire outside the cable and internet provider’s building. Hagerstown Fire Battalion Chief Mark Cleck provided details on the incident, explaining that an electrical contractor was using a torch behind Antietam Broadband when the gas line was ruptured around 11:30 a.m. There was no shutoff valve nearby, so a Columbia Gas crew had to dig in the grass off Willow Circle to clamp the line off. It took about 5 minutes for the remaining gas to burn off, and the fire was extinguished by 12:40 p.m.
During the incident, Hagerstown Fire Department firefighters hosed down the nearby Antietam Broadband building and grass to keep them cool while the fire burned. The fire was left to burn until it had run out of gas from the leak. The gas line was located in a trench about 2 to 3 feet deep, and the flames were less than 10 feet high, according to Cleck. The cable company was evacuated for over an hour during the incident. In local news, a Hagerstown man has been charged after making threats to blow up the Maryland MVA.