LAPEER, Mich. (WXYZ) — The entire downtown Lapeer area will reopen to traffic after a gasoline leak investigation earlier in the day.
Around 4:30 a.m. Wednesday morning, Lapeer police responded to the downtown area for reports of a noise complaint.
JUST IN: Explosion in downtown Lapeer sends a manhole cover flying — I’m hearing from the @wxyzdetroit desk that Nepessing Street has some closures, we got asked to push out info on road closures. Initial investigation shows gasoline got in sewer lines somehow. 1/2
— Matthew Smith (@MattSmithWXYZ) May 29, 2019
Police say the investigation has discovered that gasoline, from a current unknown source, has entered into the sewer lines causing a disruption that led to several manhole covers being dislodged.
According to the city, the Michigan Department of Environmental, Great Lakes and Energy are testing every sewer manhole in the affected area for levels of gasoline vapor. It's expected that the testing will be complete by 4 p.m. on Wednesday.
Mitigation efforts are also underway to contain the believed source of contamination, but the city said they don't have an estimated time on when the evacuation of the affected area will be lifted.
