On May 17, 2025, at approximately 2200 hours, the Oregon Area Fire/EMS District was dispatched to a motor vehicle crash involving a single vehicle and a high-pressure natural gas distribution riser at County Highway A and Glenway Road in the Township of Oregon. Upon Oregon Fire units going en route, Alliant Energy was requested to the scene. Information from the Dane County Communications Center is that the driver of the vehicle fled the scene.
Upon arrival at a safe distance away, the first arriving fire unit heard a very loud release of natural gas from the high-pressure line. This prompted an immediate control zone of 1/2 mile, where traffic was shut down in all directions. Fire crews approached the scene on foot using gas monitoring devices to check on and evacuate the nearby residents. Favorable NW winds kept the incident scene as safe as possible, pushing the natural gas away from the nearby residences.
Alliant Energy arrived on the scene and began an assessment to determine the best course to stop the release of the natural gas. The decision was made to shut the high-pressure gas down east and west of the incident location. The result of this action was that only nine homes were without gas services until repairs were made early Sunday morning.
Operating from a safe distance and assisted by the use of drones, the driver of the vehicle was located in a nearby field. This person did not sustain any injuries in the crash.
The OAFED would like to thank the Brooklyn Fire and EMS Protection District, the Dane County Sheriff’s Department, Alliant Energy, and the Dane County Communications Center for their assistance with this incident.