By EMMA SUN
A GAS leak at the Devil’s Elbow in Upper Ferntree Gully forced people to stay in their homes for about an hour last Friday afternoon.
The leak was caused by a truck, which was carrying a car and towing another, that apparently had a mechanical difficulty as it was coming down the hill on Mt Dandenong Tourist Road and drove into a tree after hitting some railing.
Upwey firefighter and incident controller Brian Neal said the railing’s droppers severed the high pressure gas main when they were pulled out of the ground.
Firefighters in six trucks from Upwey, Upper Ferntree Gully and Boronia were called to the scene to disperse the gas.
“We made it safe – we used hose lines across the gas leak to disperse the gas, notified the residents and waited for the gas company to come,” Mr Neal said.
“The weather and our dispersion solved any danger of explosion or fire.”
It took firefighters about 45 minutes to get the situation under control, with crews from the gas company arriving to shut down the supply.
Olivette Avenue was closed off to traffic but cars were allowed through Mt Dandenong Tourist Road.
The truck driver did not require medical treatment.
