Edison Park gas main fixed, crews restoring heat

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Only four homes in Chicago's Edison Park neighborhood are still without heat several hours after a gas main was struck in the 6700-block of North Oconto Avenue. Peoples Gas said workers are at each of those homes ready to restore service as soon as someone can let them in.

Early Thursday morning, at Clint Costa's home, it's 58-degrees. He said overnight wasn't hard, but getting ready this morning was a challenge.

"We have a baby, so he's about to get up. He's been fine. We had a space heater, checked on him to make sure everything is OK. But now that he's about to get up, and we're trying to go to work, cold showers, all that kind of stuff," Costa said.

Crews worked overnight to repair the gas main after it was hit it around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday. There was a small fire and water got into the main, leading officials to shut off water in the area, too.

Peoples Gas said crews cleared and repaired the pipe around 3:50 a.m. and then began the tedious task of going door-to-door to manually switch on the gas at each of the homes. The process takes 20 to 40 minutes in each home, according to the Peoples Gas spokesperson, since workers have to check the pipes and test appliances.

"The weather has proven to cause some complications, both freezing water and slippery conditions, and in general hard to get around and hard to move," Jennifer Block, Peoples Gas, said.

Eighty-two residents in a three-block radius lost power. Mike Skiersch said his family kept adding on the layers.

"You bundle up. It feels good to come outside. You get a little cold, you go back in and it feels warm," Skiersch said. Then he laughed, "because its 55 (degrees) in there."