Feb. 2, 2004
By Erik Holm, Staff Writer
Photo: A natural gas fire on the Bethpage State Parkway bridge over Central Avenue burns out of control, searing overhead power lines. (Newsday Photo/Michael E. Ach)
A gas main break in Bethpage this afternoon caused a dramatic fire and led to the closure of both the Bethpage State Parkway and Central Avenue, but no one has been injured, said a KeySpan spokeswoman.
Flames from the fire were shooting about 30 feet straight up in the air, higher than the surrounding trees, said Debbie Cichon, who lives about a block from the fire.
Cichon said she could see the fire from her backyard.
"It's very frightening," she said "It's going straight up, but in a very wide area. I can smell the fumes from here."
The break occurred at around 4 p.m. in one of two gas mains running along the Bethpage State Parkway, though KeySpan spokeswoman Diana Parisi said it was unclear which of the pipes had ruptured.
Employees first shut down the smaller pipe, and then the larger one, at valves located on nearby Hempstead Turnpike.
Parisi said that, once the valves were shut, the gas remaining in the line between the valve and the break would still need to burn off before the fire would diminish.
Firefighters and police were also on the scene.
Parisi said that the cause of the break was unknown, and that it was unclear if it was related to the cold weather. It was unclear if KeySpan customers would be affected by the break.
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