AUGUSTA, Maine — The Summit Natural Gas company faces a potential $250,000 fine as the result of a gas leak that prompted the evacuation of an Augusta restaurant in February.
In reviewing the incident, the Maine Public Utilities Commission Gas Safety staff said the seriousness of the gas leak near Applebee's Restaurant on Western Avenue and the company's prior safety track record were factors leading to the severity of its penalty recommendation. The PUC staff also emphasized that Summit's contractors had failed to protect underground electrical lines which further compromised public safety. Lizzy Reinholt, a spokeswoman for Summit, said the company is reviewing the area where the particular contractor involved was working when the leaks occurred.
"We're conducting an extensive internal review of this incident which concerns pipe that was put in the ground during our build in 2013 and 2014," Reinholt says. "We believe this was an isolated incident with a unique set of circumstances."
Augusta Deputy Fire Chief David Groder said that under different conditions the incident could have been catastrophic.