A car crashed into the side of a bowling alley at 3544 W. 3500 South on Monday evening, breaking a natural gas meter and igniting a fire that destroyed the car, damaged the building and tied up rush-hour traffic for nearly three hours.
Estimated damage to the car and building was $10,000.Terry Lemaster, West Valley, was driving west on 3500 South when he had a seizure and ran off the road, said Battalion Chief Stan Varney of the West Valley Fire Department. He banged into a power pole and smashed a gas meter on the side of Delton Lanes bowling alley before coming to a stop.
Lemaster, 47, who takes anti-seizure medication, went home with only minor injuries, Varney said.
The gas meter broke and ignited on impact, causing a fire that eventually engulfed Lemaster's car and burned the side of the building.
Police blocked off 3500 South between 3200 West and 3600 West from 4:45 to 7:30 p.m. while firefighters battled the blaze.
To avoid bringing down the damaged power pole, as well as live power lines, firefighters did not move the car until the broken power pole was stabilized by Utah Power workers over an hour after the crash. But since Lemaster's car was directly over the gas leak, the leak could not be repaired until the car was moved.
Firefighters contained but did not extinguish the fire while they were waiting.
"It is safer to keep that gas burning than to let it go (into the air)," Varney said. "That car ended up completely demolished - what wasn't hurt in the crash was burned out."