Stores Will Reopen in Fairfax Gas Fire Area

Gas readings in the Fairfax District have dropped to the point that nearly all of the businesses closed since Sunday’s explosions will be able to reopen by Thursday morning, Deputy Fire Chief Don Anthony told merchants today. The merchants themselves were moving back into their stores this afternoon, preparing for Thursday’s reopening.

Meantime, at a City Council meeting at which $200,000 was allocated to help pay for eliminating the gas hazard, Fire Chief Donald O. Manning reported that the Rapid Transit District had drilled a core hole near the scene of Sunday’s explosion within the last two weeks and noticed that there was a significant increase in the flow of methane gas, but had failed to report this to the Fire Department.

No Emergency Seen

“They didn’t see any emergency at the time,” he said.

About 160 businesses were closed as a precautionary measure after the Sunday methane gas blast wrecked the Ross Dress for Less Store, injuring 22 persons.

Damage from the explosion itself was put at $400,000, and merchants estimated they were losing a total of $500,000 in business for each day they were closed.

The gas--apparently waste from old oil and natural gas wells which once operated in the Fairfax District--continued to burn in the area until late Tuesday, when a newly drilled vent reduced the pressure sufficiently to snuff out the flames.

Anthony said this morning that virtually all of the stores in the Farmers Market, the Town and Country Shopping Center and the La Brea Shopping Center can safely be opened to the public Thursday morning. The Fairfax Branch Library also can reopen--and the librarian said patrons will not be charged for overdue books.

Some Can’t Open Yet

A K Mart store, the Gilmore Bank, a small plant nursery and the shattered Dress for Less Store must remain closed because readings around their locations have not dropped sufficiently, according to Anthony.

He added that the half-mile stretch of 3rd Street between Fairfax Avenue and Gardner Street will remain closed to traffic for at least another 24 hours.

He assured merchants who met with him this morning that it would be safe to go back to their stores, but in response to a question said he could not guarantee that there would never be another explosion like that which occurred Sunday.

Anthony said that the controlled burn-off of the gas, originally scheduled to begin Tuesday night, then rescheduled for 8 a.m. today, probably would not begin now until sometime late this afternoon.

Staff Writer Frank Clifford contributed to this report.