On December 6, 2024 around 11:45pm, dozens of Union Hill residents in unincorporated Redmond called the King County Sheriff’s Office to report hearing a very loud venting sound coming from the area of pipeline pumping station.
Heard from several blocks away, the venting sound was initially repeating in five second bursts every few moments, but it soon become a consistent, uninterrupted stream.
The loud, unusual sound disrupted the neighborhood, waking many families up in the middle of the night. Concerned that the pipeline may have been imminently exploding, many residents evacuated their homes.
The King County Sheriff’s Office and the Redmond Fire Department arrived and closed NE Union Hill Rd for several blocks to prevent additional people from approaching the sound. First responders walked the scene and accessed for potential hazards.
Williams’ emergency dispatch was contacted, and a team of emergency maintenance technicians were dispatched to deal with the issue. After over an hour of the venting, the teams were able to correct the issue.
What went wrong?
Venting is a safe process that is designed to occur with regularity - relief valves open naturally to relieve pressure from the line. It is believed that an equipment failure led to a piece of fabric clogging a regulator, which caused the valve to be stuck open, releasing gas.
Over 7 million cubic feet of methane gas was lost in the incident.
What do I do in the future?
If you smell gas in your home, evacuate and call 911. If you hear any other unusual sounds that you believe may be due to a pipeline issue, call 911 and/or the Williams 24-hour emergency line (855-945-5762).
--King County Police
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