The renovation work on a house in the village of Winkeln had been going on since the morning when the accident happened at around 8:30 a.m.: During excavation work, a worker tore off the line with an excavator shovel, and gas escaped. The workers immediately alerted the fire brigade. The volunteer comrades were able to arrive at the construction site even faster than usual: They had just met at the fire brigade depot to undergo a health test that is mandatory for respiratory protection wearers. They went out immediately and were able to quickly bring the situation under control. With pure muscle power, the firefighters “folded” the supply line, fixed it with a lashing strap and thus secured the accident site until the emergency gas service arrived.
Picture: Fire department (Kollinger)
It was quickly determined why the gas line could be damaged: on the one hand, the line had not been laid particularly deep in the ground and, on the other hand, it had not been laid at the signposted location, as reported by the fire brigade.
