Camden Fire Department - Fire, Rescue & Safety Operations - 1488 Louis Street

Camden Fire Department
Fire, Rescue, & Safety Operations
September 25, 2011
1488 Louis Street

This page and the other pages in this series are the successors to the series of web-page about the Camden Fire Department called Camden Fire Department: The Fires of the Summer of 2011. On this and other pages in the series you will find pictures and information regarding different events and aspects of the fire service in Camden, New Jersey.

On Sunday, September 25, 2011 Camden Fire Department units responded to calls regarding the smell of natural gas coming from a vacated home in the 1400 block of Louis Street, across from Whitman Park. Apparently scavengers had broken into the home and ripped the stove out from the wall, as well as stealing the water meter. There was so much gas in the air that it could be smelled clear across Louis Street into the park and down the block. Camden Fire Department personnel quickly notified all neighbors to get out of their houses and ventilated the building to disperse the gas, averting what could easily have been a disaster of the first magnitude. Public Service Gas & Electric company staff arrived on scene to turn of gas service to the building.

Fire Dispatcher Matt DeGailler, who was on duty, provided the following account of the incident.

On Sunday, at 1354 hours I sent Squad 7 by themselves for report of an EXTERIOR odor of natural gas at 1488 Louis Street. Squad 7 arrived on location, being waved in by the occupant. At 1401 hrs Squad 7 reported they had high reading of natural gas in the dwelling, and requested the box be filled. Engine 10, Ladder 1, Rescue 1 and Battalion 1 were dispatched, as well as Public Service Gas & Electric. Battalion 1 reported a two-story middle of the row dwelling with an active gas leak, companies operating with evacuations and ventilating. The gas leak was secured by PSE&G Company personnel and companies started taking up at 1429 hours.

As with the web page covering other Camden Fire Department events, if you can identify anyone that I've missed, please e-mail me. (I'm terrible at at names and faces).

Phil Cohen
September 27 2011