The 26-year-old employee who was injurded in a gas line explosion on Colonial Blvd. near SR82 remains in critical condition today at Tampa General Hospital, according to news accounts. Pedro Santos was working on equipment when the gas line was hit last Thursday. It has affected a wide area of Lee County, leaving many without natural gas service. The break in the line resulted in a loss of service to more than 7,000 customers from Fort Myers to Naples.

Many of those affected were restaurants.

A natural gas restoration order is being relesed by the Lee County Public Safety following a disruption when a gas line was hit by Santos along SR 80 and Colonilal Blvd.

Officials caution customers to utilize only trained authorized personnel to work with natural gas transmission lines, meters and associated equipment currently dysfunctional because of Thursday’s main gas line explosion in eastern Lee County.

The TECO People’s Gas line has been repaired, after being damaged by a construction vehicle working on the expansion of Colonial Boulevard near SR 82. Approximately 6,500 customers lost their gas connection, and company representatives say it could take up to a week to get all service restored, said Diane Holm, public information officer with Lee County Public safety.

As in any emergency, restoration of the utility will occur in order of priority with the largest and most critical customers, such as hospitals, nursing, assisted living facilities and emergency service facilities, first, she said.

Commercial customers, such as hotels and restaurants will be next, and residential customers will be third. If a less critical customers is on the same line as a critical facility, then their service may be restored more quickly (similar to what happens in restoring power following a hurricane).

A key factor in the service restoration is making sure that customers get in touch with TECO People’s Gas as quickly as possible, and maintain contact. Each customer must be contacted twice by TECO People’s Gas before service can be restored, Holm said.

Customers are advised by TECO People’s Gas to ensure safety by not turning off the gas at the meter. They may turn off gas to specific appliances using the local valve located near the appliance. More information is available at www.peoplesgas.com and by calling 1-877-832-6747, Holm said.

Customers should enact their emergency plan substituting another energy source for their gas system, as they would in a natural emergency, she said.