PAYNESVILLE, Minn. — Residents of Paynesville have natural gas (and heat) again after a ruptured line left them without service overnight.
Paynesville Mayor Jeff Thompson says CenterPoint Energy repaired the broken line and began restoring service to the first customers around 2:45 a.m. Wednesday. About 100 crew members are going door-to-door making sure pilot lights are lit and proper pressure is restored to each residence.
A third party contractor hit a 6-inch gas line on the northern edge of town Tuesday evening, disabling natural gas service to the town. A spokesperson with CenterPoint Energy confirms that approximately 1400 customers were affected.
Residents within a small section of northern downtown Paynesville were evacuated by local authorities until natural gas was shut off by CenterPoint Energy.
This statement, posted online by CenterPoint Energy, offers details of the restoration process and gives information for residents affected by the outage. It advises that residents do not need to call the energy company or make an appointment to have their services restored, and that homeowners should not turn off their meters before technicians come to repair them.