[Press Release] : Gas leak forces temporary closure of University Hospital operating rooms

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
Contact: Captain Eric Hartman - (573) 874-7644 Office

Gas leak forces temporary closure of University Hospital operating
rooms

COLUMBIA, MO (June 25, 2008) - Columbia firefighters were called at
8:17 a.m. on Wednesday, June 25, to 1 Hospital Drive, University
Hospital and Clinics, for a report of a natural gas leak.

Firefighters arrived and discovered a 2-inch natural gas line had been
severed by a piece of heavy equipment at the construction site for the
new parking garage, located at the intersection of Monk Drive and
Hospital Drive. The incident prompted the closure of Monk Drive and
Hospital Drive to both pedestrian and vehicular traffic until the leak
was controlled.

During the incident, University Hospital closed its operating rooms in
what was described as a "procedural shutdown" due to an odor of natural
gas reported inside the hospital. Columbia fire crews used combustible
gas monitoring equipment to investigate this report and found no natural
gas present inside the hospital building. The operating rooms reopened a
short time later.

There was no fire, structural damage or injuries related to this
incident. Fire units cleared the scene at 10:26 a.m.

Ameren UE crews responded and stopped the leak after a significant
amount of work. Due to the location of the line break, Ameren crews were
forced to dig up a section of the roadway in order to access the severed
line and stop the leak.

The Columbia Fire Department worked closely with, and received valuable
assistance from the University of Missouri Police Department, University
Hospital Security, University Hospital Management Staff and Ameren UE
during the course of the incident.

Two fire apparatus and seven fire personnel responded to this
incident.

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