(WWJ) A five-block area of Lapeer's downtown was evacuated Wednesday morning, and the disruption continued into the afternoon after a large amount of gas spilled into the underground sewer system.
Residents reported hearing a blast about 4:30 a.m. That's when Lapeer Police Chief Dave Frisch says officers discovered all the manhole covers had blown off.
Downtown Lapeer remains shut down after a gasoline leak into the sewers caused an explosion that sent dozens of manhole covers into the air. This is surveillance video that captured the sound. I will be live in Lapeer at 5. pic.twitter.com/Q3AAnQYgDC
— Kim Russell WXYZ (@kimrussell7) May 29, 2019I'm on @wxyzdetroit in 7 minutes to breakdown of developing news out of Lapeer. Manhole covers blown off the road after gas made it inside the sewer system... keep an eye on @kimrussell7 as she will continue our coverage in our late shows. Evacuation request remains in place... pic.twitter.com/81MKjiFUcD
— Matthew Smith (@MattSmithWXYZ) May 29, 2019The downtown evacuation, which was voluntary, was lifted Wednesday evening and Frisch praised residents for their response.
"The business owners and the residents have been fantastic," Frisch told WWJ Newsradio. "They understand the gravity of the situation. Currently, we are still working in a controlled containment mode on it to make sure that we are stopping any further gasoline from getting into the lines."
Given the large amount of gas, Frisch believes the spill was an accident.
The evacuation zone included about a four to five block area, mostely retail with a bit of residential.
The source of the gasoline is unknown.
