ANCHORAGE, AK. April 29, 1996. -- Alyeska Pipeline Service Company reported today that a small flash fire occurred during excavation work at Check Valve 92. The small fire occurred when a back hoe bucket scraped a rock, causing a spark and igniting vapors in an area where soil was contaminated with crude oil from the prior leak from the valve. No injuries or equipment damage occurred. The fire was immediately extinguished with sand and gravel from the site.

Safety procedures at the site have been reviewed and revised. Workers will not be allowed in the ditch while powered digging equipment is working. Continuous gas level monitoring has been set up, and additional ventilation and fire extinguishers are available.

Check Valve 92 is ninety miles north of Glennallen and is being excavated after crude oil was discovered in a vertical access culvert last week. The leak has been stopped and the valve permanently repaired. The remainder of the work is the excavation of crude oil contaminated soils from the site. A total of 2179 cubic yards of soil has been excavated from the site.

The Joint Pipeline Office has been notified of the incident.