Gas leak contained at Superior's Plains Midstream

Superior firefighters responded to a natural gas leak Monday morning at Plains Midstream, formerly known as Dome Petroleum, 2600 E. 21st St. The Superior Fire Department responded to the call at about 10:50 a.m., according to Battalion Chief Vern Johnson. The building, a pump house, was evacuated and company personnel began the process of isolating the leak by evacuating liquified natural gas from the lines leading to the leaky valve. Traffic was briefly slowed to one lane on Stinson Avenue, but both lanes have reopened. The Plains Midstream plant remained blocked off.

Johnson said the pump house was filled, or fully charged, with gas, but it was not mixed with oxygen so it was too rich to ignite. The pump house itself is intrinsically safe due to double and triple protections built into all electrical systems, according to Johnson.

"Everything is under control," he said.

One fire rig will remain on standby at Plains Midstream until the valve is isolated and the department will assist in ventilating the building, Johnson said. Clearing the lines could take up to 10 hours, he has been told.

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