Dozens of Civil Protection personnel, firefighters and soldiers were mobilized after neighbors reported a strong odor of gas in the Zapopan neighborhood.
Authorities ordered the evacuation of a wide surrounding area, encompassing nine colonias, as emergency personnel tried to determine the levels of explosivity in the affected zone.
With memories of the fatal 1992 sewer explosions still vivid in many residents’ memories, the news of the leak provoked a degree of panic. Several schools were besieged by parents demanding to take their children away to safety.
The source of the leak was finally located at the intersection of Cruz del Sur and Montemorelos. Authorities later confirmed that a coupling of pipes installed by the Maxigas company had become loose allowing the gas to escape.At first, Maxigas representatives refused to acknowledge their equipment was at fault. A later statement said they would investigate fully the cause of the damage to the pipes.
Several companies have concessions to install underground gas distribution system in the Guadalajara metropolitan area, although many residents still prefer to use either stationary or portable tanks.
Fortunately, experts later noted, most of the leaking gas was contained underground, where it lacked the oxygen required to have caused an explosion. Gas explosions occur when the gas/air mixture reaches a critical value, allowing any spark, flame or heat source to ignite the mixture.
Although news of the leak was reported on radio, television and through social networking, some residents living close by complained they were kept in the dark about the incident and that no one came to tell them to evacuate their properties.
State authorities declared the emergency over after about six hours and residents returned peacefully to their homes.
Zapopan Mayor Hector Robles said he wants to review the full facts of the incident before determining whether any action should be taken against Maxigas.
Nonetheless, Zapopan city hall closed down Maxigas installations in Loma Bonita Thursday, restricting gas supplies to around one-fifth of the firm’s clients in the metro area.
In April 2001, more than 200 people died after several miles of streets exploded following massive build up of gasoline in a Guadalajara sewer. Authorities later concluded that thousands of gallons of gasoline leaked into the drainage system via a faulty pipeline that crossed over the sewer.