Crews were trying to find people with the right level of hazardous materials training to continue the process today, Pelley said. Crews began excavating holes on either side of the pipeline break, said Joann Hamick, an Olympic spokeswoman. One of the holes is about 150 feet from the break and the other about 50 feet. That isolates that damaged portion of the pipe from the rest of the pipeline network. The excavation of the first hole wasn't completed Tuesday, she said.
Authorities remain concerned about the possibility of more gas leaking into the creek.
There are some places where there are pockets of fuel. Crews have created berms or used vacuum equipment to keep the pockets of fuel from reaching the creek. Work also remains to be done to stabilize soils seared by the fire. Authorities fear serious erosion problems could be triggered by the next heavy rain, and are devising plans to stop the erosion. At this point, the company doesn't anticipate any changes in its pipeline route, monitoring or procedures, Stanley said.