Water main break has damaged natural gas line in Maple Ridge: FortisBC

A broken water main in Maple Ridge has caused a rupture in a nearby natural gas line, FortisBC has confirmed.

City of Maple Ridge chief operating officer Walter Oleschak says the main break, located along Lougheed Highway eastbound near 203rd Street, happened just before 12:30 p.m. Saturday.

“We’re just waiting for Fortis to determine their emergency repair work that they’re able to do there,” Oleschak said.

Oleschak says there are sometimes concerns associated with ruptured gas lines in general, but there likely isn’t much risk in this particular case.

“There’s a multitude of many things that can happen, and the danger really lies in if the gas is building up,” he said.

“For instance, underground. When it’s flowing freely into the environment like that, there’s a lot less risk of any type of explosion, but it’s usually when the gas is contained in somewhere where it’s not being able to escape and where something could ignite it.”

FortisBC says it will provide us with a further update when crews are able to report on the status of repairs.

Meanwhile, the water main break led to headaches for drivers in the area, after Lougheed Highway was closed eastbound at 203rd Street.

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— With files from David Nadalini.