Residents living in the Squirrel, Silverbell and Dutton Road area might have thought a jet plane was attempting to land in their back yard, after a Consumers Energy gas main exploded Sunday night.
The Oakland County Sheriff’s Department was inundated with 911 calls from residents in the area of the explosion at about 10:15 p.m. on May 1.
The explosion occurred on Squirrel Road, south of Silverbell Road and north of Dutton Road in Orion.
The gas main that exploded was on the east side of Squirrel, about 100 feet from the roadway.
OCSD deputies who responded to the scene said the natural gas escaping the main sounded ‘like a jet engine.?
Residents in the area reported hearing a very loud roar, as well as their homes shaking and windows rattling.
The Orion Township Fire Department responded to the scene, and requested and received assistance from Oakland Township, Rochester Hills and Auburn Hills.
A decision was made to evacuate residents living within one square mile of the explosion site. Temporary shelter was offered at Rochester Adams High School and Rochester High School.
According to a report by the OCSD, the explosion occurred at one of Consumers Energy’s pumping stations. Deputies shut down Squirrel Road from Silverbell to Dutton.
According to the OCSD, representatives from the FBI and ATF were also on the scene. Consumers was able to shut off the gas using valves to isolate the main and shut it down.
Consumers Energy said the preliminary cause of the explosion was a weld that broke, causing a 22-inch main pipe to rupture and release natural gas.
A witness told the OCSD that they had seen men working at the site earlier in the day.
Consumers Energy is preparing to move the station to a new location, to make room for a new subdivision being developed in the area.
Representatives from Consumers weren’t sure if that work had anything to do with the explosion. They said this type of incident is extremely rare.
A briefing was held at 12:30 a.m. on Monday, following the explosion, and Consumers Energy planned to make repairs and conduct a full investigation during the day on Monday.
Residents were allowed to return to their homes by midnight, and there were no injuries and no fire during the incident.
‘I want to congratulate those people who are out there every day…looking out for our safety,? Orion Township Supervisor Jerry Dywasuk said at the May 2 board of trustees meeting, updating the public about the situation.
Dywasuk said he had spoken with a representative from Consumers Energy, and Consumers would be attending a future board meeting to update the public about the results of their full investigation.
‘There were no injuries or damage to personal property, other than Consumers? equipment,? Dywasuk said.
Orion Township Fire Chief Jeff Key was unable to be reached as of press time.