Catch basin fire in Rostraver

By CHRISTINE HAINES

chaines@yourmvi.com

An ordinary fire in an unusual location is how Rostraver Central Assistant Fire Chief Justin Shawley describes the flames leaping from a catch basin Sunday night.

Shawley said when firefighters responded to Wildwind Drive around 8:15 p.m., they initially thought it was a natural gas line fire because of the height of the bright orange flames.

“The fire was acting like a gas-fed fire, so we didn’t immediately want to put it out because we didn’t want to have a gas leak,” Shawley said. “When the gas company arrived, we made the determination that it most likely wasn’t the gas line involved and we had them there if it was.”

Shawley said firefighters used foam to extinguish the flames in the catch basin, which apparently had been fed by the plastic drain pipe that runs under the road.

“Ten to 20 feet of the underground pipe was consumed,” Shawley said. “It’s a 16- to 18-inch line. It burns like oil does, black smoke and yellow-orange flame.”

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