LOS ALAMOS COUNTY UTILITIES

Incident Narrative

MR. PHILLIP VALDEZ, GAS, WATER, AND SEWER SUPERINTENDENT WAS NOTIFIED BY TELEPHONE AT 15:38 THAT THERE WAS A FIRE AT THE QUEMAZON SUBDIVISION MONTESSORI SCHOOL LOCATED AT 4600 ESPERANZA ST. IN LOS ALAMOS NEW MEXICO. AFTER ARRIVING ON THE SCENE AT 4600 ESPERANZA ST. MR. VALDEZ FOUND THAT A VEHICLE HAD LEFT THE ROADWAY, STRUCK A GAS METER AND BROKE OFF THE RISER, AND CONTINUED INTO THE SIDE OF THE BUILDING. THE BUILDING AND THE VEHICLE WERE ON FIRE. THE DRIVER OF THE VEHICLE AND ITS OTHER OCCUPANTS AND THE OCCUPANTS OF THE BUILDING WERE EVACUATED WITH NO INJURIES BEING REPORTED. THE LOS ALAMOS COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT RESPONDED TO THE FIRE AND AND PUT OUT THE BLAZING VEHICLE AND BUILDING BUT FLAMES CONTINUED TO COME FROM THE RISER WHICH HAD THE VEHICLE ATOP OF IT. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT CALLED IN A TOW TRUCK WHICH REMOVED THE VEHICLE FROM THE BUILDING AND FROM ATOP OF THE RISER, AT WHICH TIME THEY EXTINGUISHED THE FLAMES COMING FROM THE RISER. A LOS ALAMOS COUNTY GAS TECHNICIAN PLACED A CLIMAX PLUG INTO THE RISER AND SHUT OF THE FLOW OF GAS. THE AREA WAS BAR TESTED WITH A CGI TESTER AND A FLAME IONIZATION UNIT TO TEST FOR ANY POSSIBLE GAS LEAKAGE. NO LEAKS WERE DETECTED AND THE SERVICE LINE WAS THEN SQUEEZED OFF AND CAPPED TEN (10) FEET FROM THE RISER. GAS TECHNICIANS CHECKED THE AREA THE FOLLOWING DAY FOR LEAKS AND NONE WERE DETECTED.