Contractor Punctures Airport
Fuel Pipeline
Queens Gazzette 11/18/09
A private contractor
drilling on a site
at 37th Street and
Skillman Avenue on
Tuesday morning
November 17 punched
a hole in the
Buckeye Pipeline, a
main artery feeding
jet fuel to
LaGuardia and
Kennedy Airports.
The break spilled
approximately 500
gallons of jet fuel
onto Skillman Avenue
and adjoining
streets, resulting
in a traffic
nightmare that sent
motorists onto
nearby Northern
Boulevard, police
officials said.
Firefighters
responded to the
scene at around
11:25 a.m., applied
foam to the fuel and
managed to shut down
the feed to the
pipeline in the
immediate area, FDNY
officials said.
Firefighters from
the FDNY Haz-Mat
unit were working on
isolating the break
to avoid further
cutoff of fuel to
the airports.
Representatives from
the city Office of
Emergency Management
remained at the
scene to monitor the
situation and
determine what
further steps needed
to be taken to
repair and restore
the system.
Police officials
would not say what
action, if any,
would be taken
against the
contractor.
