Five Homes Evacuated After Gas Leak on Rainbow Drive

The Menomonee Falls and Lannon fire departments responded to a natural gas leak that started about 11 a.m. Friday outside a home on Rainbow Drive.

A private contractor with WE Energies was replacing the gas meter outside Dave and Beth Boeck’s home, N80W15939 Rainbow Dr. While working on the meter, a shut-off valve broke and caused natural gas to leak from the meter, said Menomonee Falls Fire Lt. Ross Lautenbach.

“We got a call for the smell of natural gas. I was right down the street when the call came in,” Lautenbach said. “When I arrived on the scene, I could hear the leak and smell the gas, and I called in additional units.”

Lautenbach said five surrounding homes were evacuated as a precautionary measure as firefighters and WE Energies technicians worked to seal the leak. Most of the people evacuated stayed at a neighbor’s house further down the block.

Dave Boeck was in the home when the leak occurred. He had scheduled an appointment with WE Energies to replace the meter Friday. Boeck said he didn’t hear the leak occur, but was told to leave his home by the technician working on the meter.

“The technician knocked on the door and said, 'I’m going to need you to leave the house,'” Boeck said. “I could hear the hissing and smell the gas when I came out, but didn’t hear anything when I was in the house.”

The sound of the gas leaking from the gas main could be heard clearly more than 100 yards from the home. Fortunately, most of the gas stayed out of the home and the Boeck’s dog and python weren’t endangered.

Lautenbach said sealing the leak took WE Energies technicians about five minutes. Firefighters monitored gas levels inside Boeck’s home and outside surrounding homes, and left the scene once readings were low enough. 

Three fire engines and an ambulance were parked far from the home, and firefighters approached the scene on foot as a precaution. Firefighters left the scene at noon, and a technician finished replacing the meter.

“You want to err on the side of caution and be prepared for the worse and be ready for whatever could happen,” Lautenbach said. “You want to think big and hope for small.”