Gas fears force rail evacuation

TIME TO GO: Staff at the Masterton Railway Station building had to be evacuated yesterday morning after gas fumes were detected. The site was cordoned for 30 minutes while fire crews tracked down the source of the leak. PHOTO/NATHAN CROMBIE

Firefighters evacuated workers from the Masterton Railway Station building yesterday morning after reports of gas fumes at the site.

Masterton fire station officer Doug Flowerday said firefighters were at the premises for about 30 minutes, from about 10.30am yesterday.

The firefighters cordoned off the entrances to the station and evacuated rail staff and Rideshop workers from the station building.

Firefighters used breathing apparatus and a gas detector to monitor the building for leaks, shut down the gas supply and ventilated the premises.

"We think it was probably a faulty heater unit that caused a small gas leak inside the building," Mr Flowerday said.

Rideshop director David Lee said a worker initially smelled the gas leak on Sunday night in the firm's offices, located in a former railway cafe near a small storage area of LPG gas cylinders.

Mr Lee said redundant gas and water pipes, which had been used when the cafe was operating, led into the Rideshop offices, from where five workers were evacuated for about an hour yesterday.

He said two rail workers had been evacuated from a ticketing office in the building as well.