Firefighters Assist with Gas Leak at Memorial Union

The Madison Fire Department was called to the Memorial Union Saturday morning for a possible gas leak at the Brat House beverage stand outside.
 
Bystanders were directed to evacuate the area as Ladder 1 investigated. The building manager explained that a stainless steel shelf had been dropped behind a grill and onto the gas shutoff for the grill. Although she shut off the valve after smelling gas, she was unable to stop the leak.
 
Firefighters located a crack in the pipe and were also unable to stop the leak. MG&E was asked to respond and assist as firefighters searched for a secondary shutoff location, finding none.
 
Because of mildly windy conditions on Saturday, the leak dissipated easily and the crew’s Sensit meter didn’t turn up dangerous readings.
 
Once MG&E arrived, they shut off the gas to the entire building to perform necessary repairs. At that time, firefighters turned the area back over to MG&E and property management.