Construction crew drills into gas tank

CEDAR RAPIDS - A crew operating a directional drill southbound on the 25oo block of First Avenue collided with an old fuel tank Wednesday.

Cedar Rapids fire fighters said they were dispatched around 5:40 p.m. to find that a large drilling machine ran into an old fuel tank, putting a hole in the tank, and damaging the machine.

Telecom worker Justin Westrum said the crew drilled along the residential stretch installing underground fiber optic cable to upgrade communication service when he heard a loud noise, which sounded similar to drilling through rock.

That's when the 24-year-old realized the head of the drill snapped off after running into an old fuel tank.

Another worker said the tank was nearly full, but the damage sustained was just above the fuel line, and fire fighters were able to bandage the hole to keep fumes down for the night. No one was injured.

"I rarely run into something like this," Westrum said.

A battalion chief with Cedar Rapids Fire Department said he didn't know if the fuel tank will be removed or not, but had contacted the city's public works department to handle the issue.