OGDEN -- A 12-hour flammable gas leak ended the workday early and halted traffic near the Rocky Mountain Power building on 2550 South.
Power company employees reported a railroad car was leaking butane near their building at 1400 W. 2550 South. Butane is a highly flammable gas produced from natural gas and commonly used to fill cigarette lighters.
Weber County Dispatch said the leak was reported about 8 a.m. An Ogden fire crew was on the scene, and the Rocky Mountain Power building and several others were evacuated as a precaution.
The release valve of one of the train's gas tankers had opened, releasing butane gas into the air. It's not out of the ordinary for a release valve to open to prevent damage to a tanker, but the valve did not close when it should have.
The initial plan was to try to repair and close the valve. When it would not close, crews tried to cap the valve to stop the flow.
"That didn't work either," said Ogden Fire Battalion Chief Mike Wood.
They ultimately, and successfully, siphoned the gas into three Mountain States tanker semi-trucks.
"That's their own product," Wood said. There were still about 50 gallons of the gas in the bottom of the gas tanker, so Mountain States brought the car back to the company where they could safely extract the rest.
The crew's concern throughout the leak was that a spark could ignite the gas in the air and cause an explosion, he said. There was no explosion or injuries.
Ogden police routed traffic around the leak area.
Crews had all of the gas removed by 8 p.m. and traffic resumed.
Standard-Examiner reporter Charlie Trentelman contributed to this story.
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