“Never seen anything like this:” Gasoline smell still present, weeks after spill

Weeks after a 12-inch pipe burst northwest of Anthony, New Mexico, there is still gasoline in the area.

“The odor was strong,” said Rosa Fierro in Spanish. She told ABC-7 she has lived in the area for seven years. “When the leak began, we couldn’t be here.”

“I’ve never seen anything like this in my life,” said Commissioner Ramon Gonzalez, who represents the area in Doña Ana County. “Nothing like that. Not this type of exposure, you know.”

According to information released in late December by the New Mexico Environment Department, 252,000 gallons of gasoline was spilled near Three Saints Road.

A spokeswoman for Kinder Morgan said she would prefer sending a statement over an interview with ABC-7. She said the company was cooperating with local authorities.

“The results of the well sampling of the nearby homes are complete and indicate no adverse impacts to the area,” read the company’s statement. “The investigation into the cause of the release is underway.”

Fierro told ABC-7 she heard an explosion the day of the leak. She said her husband called 9-1-1.

“Firefighters showed up and they told us they couldn’t do anything about it,” Fierro said. “It was the company’s responsibility. They did tell it it was up to us if we wanted to stay here. We spent the night, but in the morning, someone from the company showed up and told us to evacuate.”

The smell of gasoline is still present directly by the leak. Commissioner Gonzalez told ABC-7 he doesn’t believe the area was safe for residents to return.

“I’d like to see that our patrons be moved out of again,” Gonzalez said. “The smell is still in the air and I just don’t see that they should be in their homes right now.”

Gonzalez said a pregnant woman lives by the leak with her three children.

“I’d like to see it be cleaned up as soon as possible,” he said.

On December 21st, a release from the New Mexico Environment Department said no homes were immediately impacted by the spill.

“Nearby homes were evacuated as a precaution, but no impacts to residences have been reported,” wrote Katy Diffendorfer, a spokeswoman for the department.

Later on Thursday, the spokeswoman from Kinder Morgan sent a follow-up statement:

“Kinder Morgan is focused on the safety of our employees, the public and the environment. We continue to perform remediation activities at the site under the direction and oversight of the State. While there may be an intermittent odor in the area dependent on the wind direction, the public is not at risk. Air monitoring is being conducted twice a day and nothing has been detected at or above regulatory levels.

All free product and heavily contaminated soil have been removed and additional remediation activities are expected to begin next week. We continue to work closely with the residents of the nearby homes to address any of their concerns. Nearby well sampling is complete and indicates no detectable contaminants. We are willing to conduct additional water sampling at the request of the residents.”