Mall reopens after gas leak

PONDERAY — Sunday shoppers had their browsing cut short when the Northside Fire Department evacuated Bonner Mall in response to a gas leak.

Around 11 a.m., Northside Fire Chief Brad Mitton and his firefighters arrived at the mall to investigate a potentially dangerous gas leak. After checking the gas levels to ensure a safe entry, firefighters moved throughout the mall, checking every trafficked room and escorting visitors outside.

“The evacuation process didn’t take too long,” Mitton said. “We probably had everyone out within a half hour or less.”

After clearing everyone out of the building, firefighters began the longer process of pinpointing the source of the leak, Mitton said. In compliance with safety protocol, they monitored air levels and shut off electronics to prevent any spark or electrical arc from potentially igniting errant gas. Firefighters then shut down all sources of gas in the building before turning them back on one by one to establish the location of the leaks. The entire process took about three and a half hours.

“It did take a while, but we had to make sure we knew exactly which points the problem was coming from,” Mitton said.

Firefighters eventually attributed the leak to a malfunctioning control module on a roof heating unit. After the problem was resolved, some store owners in the mall chose to reopen, while others remained closed for the remainder of the day. As for the problematic heating unit, the module was repaired the following day.

According to Mitton, the entire call was a smooth success without any surprises.

“I think everything went really well,” he said. “No one got hurt and we were able to resolve the issue.”