Gas Line at Cheshire Bridge Road Repaired

A gas pipe damaged in a fire in northeast Atlanta that shut down part of Cheshire Bridge Road for over 24 hours has been repaired. Around 9 p.m. Thursday, Atlanta Gas Light officials announced that the four-inch gas pipe had been fixed. The fire, which began around 9:15 p.m. Wednesday and lasted late into the night, damaged a railroad bridge, and was reported around 9:15 p.m. Thursday.

At the site, Atlanta fire spokesperson Sgt. Cortez Stafford informed Channel 2 Action News that the flames were caused by a break in a natural gas line beneath the road in the neighbourhood of Faulkner Road. Stafford said, “This is a concrete bridge, but still the amount of time the fire has been burning on this bridge has compromised it.”

The fire’s cause is still being investigated. Stafford said firefighters thought they were dealing with a little fire beneath the bridge, which is frequent in the area, but the flames became more deadly after they came into contact with the gas line. Atlanta Gas Light crews completed repairs to the gas line on Thursday and were trying to restore service to affected customers, but the road remained closed.

Cheshire Bridge Road travel lanes are expected to resume early Friday morning, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center. Approximately 600 Georgia Power customers lost power during the firefighting efforts, including occupants of a nearby apartment complex. According to Channel 2, the lights were turned back on by 5:30 a.m. As of Thursday evening, Cheshire Bridge Road was still closed in both directions south of Lavista Road. Alternate routes included Piedmont Road, Clairmont Road, and Buford Highway.