PALMA
PALMA was hit by two major gas leaks yesterday which brought chaos to traffic in the city centre.
The first leak happened in calla Aragon yesterday morning and, according to Palma fire service sources, was probably caused by building machinery on a construction site along the road.
Because of the high temperatures, the close proximity of traffic which could create a spark and the quantity of thick gas being lost from the leak in the 15 centimetre diameter pipe, the emergency services decided to close calle Aragon to traffic and evacuated a nearby bank and bar while the gas engineers tackled the leak.
The leak in the pipe, apparently caused by a construction digger, was quickly closed by Gesa engineers and the road eventually reopened to traffic after two hours.
GAS KEY
The alarm for the second gas leak was raised at 2pm and again, a full emergency and security operation was launched.
The Local Police, fire fighters and Gesa engineers rushed to the scene. This time the gas key on the mains pipe in a building in calle Sant Rafel, Son Gotleu, had broken and, while Gesa engineers repaired the damage, the whole building was evacuated by the Local Police as a safety precaution.
Fortunately, no one was injured in either of the two emergency operations and building evacuations and the fire services last night praised all members of the general public who had been involved or affected for their cooperation and patience.
Gas and electricity company Gesa has opened full investigations into both incidents, in particular the calle Aragon leak.
The causes will be confirmed early next week.