Sherri Park Gas Fire Causes Millions of Dollars in Damage

Residents are cleaning up today after and caused millions of dollars of damage in Lyndhurst yesterday.

Dominion East Ohio spokesperson Neil Durbin said that the line that fed the gas the fuled the fire for over two hours yesterday is fiberglass — not plastic, like newer lines — which prevented the company from cutting off the gas supply more quickly.

A landscape worker hit the line while working on the northeast corner of the building at 12:30 p.m., causing the leak, and a fire was ignited a few minutes later. The fire burned for more than two hours, extinguishing at 3:16 p.m. when the gas workers shut off the gas.

Lyndhurst Fire Chief Mike Carroll said that the State Fire Marshall, who is the lead investigator on the fire, has not determined what sparked the fire, but that arson is not suspected. He added that he is not yet aware if negligence occurred, but that civil litigation is possible.

All 145 units of the building were evacuated after the leak was reported, and around 180 residents were told their apartments would not be ready to live in for at least two weeks.

Carroll said that the damage is expected to total at least $1 million, and could be as much as $10 million.