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Natural gas service restoration continues in Durango

Atmos Energy says crews ‘out in force’

As of Wednesday afternoon, natural gas service for more than half of the 550-plus homes and businesses affected by an outage in Durango had been turned back on, an Atmos Energy spokesman said.

Darwin Winfield said crews restored service to about 300 of the some 560 customers as of 1 p.m. He said crews will begin the second round of visiting homes and businesses late Wednesday afternoon.

“To get service reinstated, we need an adult 18 or older present,” Winfield said.

Customers missed on Atmos’s second round of visits will have their door tagged, he said. They then can call a number to have an Atmos representative visit and turn service back on.

“We’re staffed up and ready to go,” he said. “Customers just need to let us know.”

Atmos crews worked into the night to restore service from south of east Fifth Street to 21st Street between Camino del Rio and East Fourth Avenue, and the utility sent out workers again early Wednesday to continue.

Atmos crews hit a gas line Tuesday morning in an alley between East Fourth and East Fifth avenues, and gas was shut off about 12:45 p.m. Tuesday. The line has since been repaired, the news release said.

Throughout Durango, businesses struggled to maintain operation during the outage.

Carver Brewing Co. was able to stay open because of its solar energy, but had a limited menu of salads, soups and small appetizers. Executive chef Dave Cuntz said it was busy because other restaurants downtown were forced to close.

“We just got it (natural gas service) up and running this morning,” Cuntz said Wednesday. “So we’re fully operational.”

Karen Barger, owner of Seasons, said the restaurant on the 700 block of Main Avenue wasn’t so lucky.

“We were definitely impacted,” she said. “It certainly affected the amount of business and the kind of business we’re able to do.”

Barger said the restaurant set up a catering-type kitchen on the back patio, which allowed it to adapt some of its menu to accommodate customers. As of 10 a.m. Wednesday, natural gas service had not returned, she said.

On the other hand, businesses on the outskirts of town saw an unusual uptick in business.

Luke LeMaire, an employee at Ska Brewing in Bodo Industrial Park, said it was busier than usual Tuesday night.

“I talked to one of the bartenders who worked last night who said it was quite busy,” he said.

Atmos said customers who need immediate assistance should call the energy line at 866-322-8667.

jromeo@durangoherald.com

Sep 29, 2016
Handful of customers remain without natural gas service
Sep 27, 2016
Atmos workers to work through night restoring gas service in Durango


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