Bustin’ loose

The clamped propane line. (Photo: MLFD)

On Tuesday morning, for the second time in a week, a propane line just outside of Snowcreek Athletic Club was punctured. Mammoth Lakes Fire Department responded and clamped the line, and the Athletic Club was evacuated and closed for about an hour.

The line was on the east side of the Athletic Club, according to MLFD Division Chief Bob Rooks who served as the Incident Commander (IC) on Tuesday.

“The 2.5 inch line that feeds the Club was hit with a backhoe blade by crews who were digging in order to lay a building foundation,” Rooks said. “It was a good size leak because the line is large. In comparison, a propane line going into the average person’s home is 1 inch.”

Rooks confirmed that the hole made on Tuesday was on the same line the crews had hit several days earlier.

The building planned for the location is a 529 square-foot storage shed that will house a large trampoline that the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area Freestyle Team uses for training, according to MMSA VP of Real Estate Jim Smith.

“The trampoline is used in the gym,” Smith explained. “So we teamed up with the Snowcreek guys [owners Connie and Ralph Black] to build the shed so that we don’t have to truck it back and forth from the Mountain.” The building will have some additional space for Snowcreek to use as well.

The project is being funded by MMSA and the Club, Smith added. –Kirkner