Gas fire erupts in Newport Center

Sue Doyle

NEWPORT BEACH -- Flames gushed from a ditch in Fashion Island Wednesday,

burning a 42-year-old worker after he accidentally overheated a gas line

with a torch, authorities said.

Alfredo Enrique suffered first- and second-degree burns over 30% of his

body -- mainly on his face, arms, neck and knees, said Lt. John Blauer,

spokesman for the Newport Beach Fire and Marine Department. Paramedics

transported the man, a Delta Pipeline, Inc. employee, to UC Irvine’s burn

center for treatment.

Enrique was part of a crew contracted through Riverside County-based

Diffenbaugh Construction to work on plumbing for a new office building

under construction at 3 Corporate Plaza Drive.

Enrique was working on a water service line and was not aware of the gas

pipe when he ignited it with his torch, said Fire Capt. Dave Mais. The

fire was extinguished when officials shut off the gas.

Although there were no other injuries, authorities said the scene could

have been disastrous. Two welding tanks, one filled with oxygen and the

other with acetylene, sat about 10 feet from the ditch and could have

exploded in the fire. When used together, the two substances can melt

metal materials. Officials were first called to the scene to cool the two

tanks, Mais said.

“This could have been a huge problem,” Mais said. “They’re like a bomb,

basically. They have a safety valve, but it doesn’t always work. We were

lucky they weren’t right on top of the hole.”

Fluorescent markings on the sidewalk indicate the locations of

underground gas lines. Officials from The Gas Co. of Santa Ana are

investigating the incident, said Judy Woolen, district public affairs

director.

At the scene, people stood with faces pressed against the windows inside

nearby office buildings, trying to catch a glimpse of what happened.

Somber workers in Delta Pipeline T-shirts leaned against a chain-link

fence and watched the cleanup. Employees had little to say about their

injured co-worker.

“He’s a great guy and a hard worker. He’s more like my brother,” said

Damon Danley, supervisor for Delta Pipeline, Inc. He said he has worked

with Enrique for nearly 12 years.

Melted construction cones and asphalt bags surrounded the ditch. A pair

of trees standing over the ditch were charred by the 20-foot flames.

Costa Mesa resident Jose Molina was driving by when he saw the fire

trucks and decided to check it out. The fire was still roaring when

Molina pulled up.

“I figured it was a gas line. But you don’t see this every day. Knowing

that some guy was burned -- that’s pretty scary,” Molina said.