Crews in Wellington to restore gas service to customers following leak (UPDATED)

WELLINGTON — A hundred crews of Columbia Gas employees and contractors have set out this morning to restore gas to the village following a line leak Sunday. Columbia Gas spokesman Eric Hardgrove said 150 customers have already had gas service restored. Company spokesman Bill Loomer said Sunday that a total of 1,900 customers have been affected by a leak in a line operated by TC Energy (formerly TransCanada Corp.), which supplies gas to Columbia Gas, who supplies it to customers. Hardgrove asked that residents who haven't had their gas service restored keep a porch light on, and someone over the age of 18 needs to be at the home or business to let in workers for relighting. "We're working as fast and as safely as we can," Hardgrove said. Wellington fire Lt. Dusty Reynolds said the gas leak was discovered about 8 a.m. Sunday, near the intersection of Barker Street and the railroad tracks where the village connects to the gas line. He said initially the entire village of about 4,900 residents was without gas, and homes near the leak were evacuated but later residents were allowed back to their homes. He estimates about a dozen people were evacuated. TC Energy spokesperson Tim Wright said workers responded to the leak and that it has been fixed. He said TC Energy was onsite throughout Sunday working to restore service to Columbia Gas. TC Energy has not said what caused the leak. "We understand the impact to customers as we worked to restore safe and reliable operations in the area and will work with Columbia Gas of Ohio as they continue the restoration process," Wright said. Loomer said he couldn't speak to what caused the leak. He said once that leak is fixed, Columbia Gas can start the process of reconnecting customers, which he said would take until sometime Monday. "Our main objective is to focus on the connecting of our customers," Loomer said. About 70 Columbia Gas workers have come in from up to three hours away. All through Sunday they were in the process of shutting off customer's gas. Once the gas was shut off and the TC Energy line was fixed, Loomer said gas has to be purged from the system before reintroducing it. He said that purging began Sunday night. Then he said technicians will go to each home, turn the gas back on, reignite the pilot lights and do a safety check. He said this process will take time, and workers will need to get inside to access meters. "We will absolutely have to have access to each property," he said. Loomer said someone 18 or older has to be in the home for Columbia Gas to reconnect a customer. He said it takes up to 30 mins a home in most circumstances. Residents are asked to keep their porch lights on until the have their gas turned back on. Loomer said the weather isn't expected to get to a freezing point. Lorain County Emergency Management Agency and Homeland Security Director Tom Kelley said its important that residents let technicians do their jobs, and not try to do anything on their own. He said in past situations, residents incorrectly tried to relight their own pilot lights. "It's very dangerous if they attempt it themselves," he said. Contact Sean McDonnell at 329-7148 or smcdonnell@chroniclet.com. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMcDonnellCT.