NewsNow: Water line break closes city business

Jan. 31--An early-morning water break flooded the basement of Empire Cleaners on Friday, forcing the 81-year-old Hazleton business to temporarily cease operations.

Alarms wired to the large sump pumps in the 422 E. Fifth St. business' basement alerted owner Nicholas Triano to the problem and he called 911, he said.

About 2 feet of water rushed into the basement, overtaking a gas-powered steam boiler and causing a gas leak around 2 a.m., said Deputy Fire Brian Mandak.

The city fire department used pumps and its engine to draft water from the basement, pushing out about 800 gallons a minute, Mandak said.

Firefighters also notified Hazleton City Authority about the break and authority employees arrived between 3 and 3:30 a.m. to turn off the water. UGI also had crews on the scene for the gas leak, he said.

Firefighters remained on the scene until about 4:30 a.m., and the city's Highway Department was called to salt the street due to the buildup of ice, Mandak said.

East Fifth Street between Arthur Street and Taylor Court remained closed Friday morning as people stopped to pick up clothes at the dry-cleaning shop.

The business, which has no heat, remains open to allow people to pick up clothing but could not take new garments in for cleaning, Triano said. The Conyngham location, which is a drop-off facility, also could not accept new garments, he said.

Triano explained that he still needs to pump about 6 inches of water from the basement before they could have someone look at the boiler, which was hot when the frigid water flooded in.

He doesn't know the extent of the damage, or if his insurance will cover it, Triano said. The business cannot afford the repairs without the insurance and would have to shutter the doors, he said.

Empire Cleaners, which was started in 1933 by the Pachence brothers, employs 11 people. Triano's father, Raymond, took over the business in 1987, and Nicholas said he recently stepped in for his father.

HCA manager Randy Cahalan said its crews were on the scene to repair the break, which only affected the dry-cleaning plant.

The leak appears to be on a service line from the main to the business, Cahalan said. The HCA is responsible for repairs from the main to the curb, while the business would be responsible from the curb to the building, he said.

"It looks like it's on our side," Cahalan said.

The authority has had some leaks in the last couple weeks, he said, but none have been major. Most of the frozen lines have been inside homes, Cahalan said.

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