Natural gas service slowly returned to more than 550 homes and businesses on Wednesday after an outage caused by an Atmos Energy contract crew that hit a line Tuesday.
According to a “Morning Update” news release, Atmos Energy worked into the night to restore service from south of East Fifth Street to 21st Street between Camino del Rio and East Fourth Avenue, and sent out workers again early Wednesday to continue.
“Residents can expect to see our work crews knocking on doors as early as 6 a.m. in order to safely restore their natural gas service,” spokesman Darwin Winfield wrote. “We hope to complete these relights as quickly as possible so business can reopen and residents can return to their daily routines.”
Winfield did not respond to calls for comment Wednesday morning.
Atmos crews hit the gas line about 12:45 p.m. in an alley between East Fourth and East Fifth avenues; it has since been repaired, the press release said.
Throughout Durango, businesses struggled to maintain operation during the outage.
Carver Brewing Co. was able to stay open because of its solar energy, but had a limited menu of salads, soups and other small appetizers. Executive chef Dave Cuntz said it was busy because other restaurants downtown were forced to close.
“We just got it (natural gas service) up and running this morning,” Cuntz said. “So we’re fully operational.”
Karen Barger, owner of Seasons, said the restaurant on the 700 block of Main Avenue wasn’t so lucky.
“We were definitely impacted,” she said. “It certainly affected the amount of business and the kind of business we’re able to do.”
Barger said the restaurant set up a catering type kitchen on the back patio, which allowed it to adapt some of its menu to accommodate customers. As of 10 a.m. Wednesday, natural gas service had not returned, she said.
On the other hand, businesses on the outskirts of town saw an unusual uptick in business.
Luke LeMaire, an employee at Ska Brewing in Bodo Park, said it was a busier than usual Tuesday night.
“I talked to one of the bartenders who worked last night, who said it was quite busy,” he said.
Atmos said customers who need immediate assistance should call the energy line at 1-866-322-8667.